


Bubblegum and Lollipops

by seungbincore



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Confessions, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Obliviousness, Set in California, Skater Boy Changbin, This was entirely self-indulgent, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, alternating povs, binchan are roomates, changbin has lots of piercings, jisung is enby, jisung is non-binary, kind of, mentioned past minchan, please read the notes, rollerblader seungmin, seungmin works in a convenient store, seungsungjin are roommates, side jeonglix if you squint, side minsung if you squint, slow-burn, tattooed changbin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:28:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25705141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungbincore/pseuds/seungbincore
Summary: “You’ve got an admirer, Minnie.”Jisung chokes on their pop. The treat drops into their pizza but they ignore it as they stand up, their chair emitting an awful scraping sound with the force they push it back. They jab a finger in Seungmin’s direction, eyes comically wide, and exclaims, “Him?!” at the same time that Seungmin disbelievingly asks, “Me?” in a quieter voice.“Who are they?” Seungmin tries to appear uninterested, but he can’t help the way he immediately scans the rink in hopes of seeing the person Hyunjin was talking about.His friend rests a hand on his shoulder and leans in close, gesturing vaguely to his right. “The person with dark blue hair and the bright blue tank-top.”—————Or the one where Seungmin and Changbin meet at a skate rink and suddenly the universe keeps shoving them together and maybe they fall in love along the way.
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin
Comments: 11
Kudos: 224





	Bubblegum and Lollipops

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! so in case you didn't read the tags, jisung is non-binary! please make sure to respect that in the comments!
> 
> anyways, here i am with another fic, except this one is happy!! woo!! i really hope you enjoy this 20k word extremely self-indulgent fic that was inspired by a seungmin drawing i did awhile back hehehe
> 
> also i did NOT proofread like the second half of this so excuse any and all mistakes hehe

Saturday nights are roller rink nights.

Seungmin doesn't remember how it happened, or when it happened, but he knows that saturdays are the days he looks forward to the most. No matter the workload from school, He, Hyunjin, and Jisung always, _always_ get to sleep early on Friday nights, wake up early and have breakfast together, spend the day watching movies or shopping, and then they dress accordingly for the roller rink. The staff always do something every week, a different theme, including games and discounts depending on the theme. Seungmin doesn't really participate that often, preferring to just free skate or enjoy the pizza with his roommates.

Tonight is 80’s night, old classics from the 80s playing from the speakers and the rink is decorated with neon streamers and red, blue and yellow glow tape. Blacklights illuminated it, creating a funny effect that messed with Seungmin’s eyes if he stared for too long. 

“Lollipop?” Jisung asks from his left, holding out one of the sweets to Seungmin as they pop their own in their mouth.

“How many of those have you had today?” Seungmin mutters, but takes the pop regardless, peeling the wrapper with careful ease.

“Only two today!” Jisung pouts, their bottom lip jutting out dramatically.

“ _Only.”_ Seungmin repeats mockingly, smirking to himself in satisfaction when Jisung’s pout deepens. “Though, I’ve seen you go through a whole bag in a day before, so I guess this is progress. You’ve got a serious problem though, Hannie.”

Jisung’s sweet tooth for lollipops had started sometime in freshman year of highschool, when them and Seungmin had first met. Seungmin remembers the day Jisung had dragged him to the store down the street from their homes (they had discovered pretty early on that they only lived two doors apart—Seungmin still wonders sometimes how they hadn’t met sooner, honestly), insisting that a boy in their elective course—choir, Seungmin thinks, if he remembers correctly—had given them a lollipop, and that it was truly the best thing they ever had. After they had begged the boy for locations on where to buy it, Seungmin had been forced along on his friend’s mission to buy themself a bag.

In truth, Seungmin figures that he can’t judge _too_ much. Afterall, he is almost, if not as bad, as Jisung when it comes to the candies. He won't admit it, though, especially not to Jisung, since they’ve had their fair share of petty arguments—more like quips—back and forth at each other over Jisung’s weird obsession. 

Jisung reaches up to fix their half-ponytail as they speak around their pop, the words slurred and muffled just a little. “They’re jus’ really good!”

“Is that so?” Seungmin raises an eyebrow, staring at the pop in his own hand. Sure, they’re good, as far as artificial flavoring goes, he supposes. 

Actually, they are really good, for candies. Again, not like he would ever admit it outloud.

“ _And_ sucking on it is supposed to distract your mind from the anxiety or whatever. It’s kinda like chewing gum, just less obnoxious.” Jisung explains, waving their pop around animatedly. Seungmin has to lean back to avoid getting wacked in the face with the sticky treat.

“Interesting.” He mumbles, and sticks his own lollipop in his mouth. He’s only mildly surprised, since this is the first time he’s heard the fact, but the way Jisung says it has him thinking that the blond only stumbled across the information recently.

“Seungmin!” A familiar voice calls to him from his right, and he turns to see Hyunjin walking towards them with a tray of steaming food. The raven-haired boy only regards his and Jisung’s matching lollipops with a raised eyebrow, but doesn't ask. He just smirks (the way he does when he knows something that the other two don’t) as he sets the tray down, passing a plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza to both of his friends. “You’ve got an admirer, Minnie.”

Jisung chokes on their pop. The treat drops into their pizza but they ignore it as they stand up, their chair emitting an awful scraping sound with the force they push it back. They jab a finger in Seungmin’s direction, eyes comically wide, and exclaims, “Him?!” at the same time that Seungmin disbelievingly asks, “Me?” in a quieter voice.

Seungmin shoots a glare at the blonde, trying to seem annoyed that Jisung is _shocked,_ but truthfully, he can’t blame his friend. It’s not exactly a common occurrence that someone pays attention to _him,_ especially when he’s friends with a god like Hyunjin. Jisung just sticks their tongue out at him in a childish manner, their nose scrunched up. 

“Real mature, Jisung.” Seungmin scoffs. Then, he turns his attention back to Hyunjin to find that same smug smirk still planted firmly on his friend’s face.

“Yes, Seungmin has an admirer. They’ve been stealing looks at him all night.” Hyunjin answers, looking much too proud of himself for supplying the information.

“Who are they?” Seungmin tries to appear uninterested, but he can’t help the way he immediately scans the rink in hopes of seeing the person Hyunjin was talking about. Some part of him wonders if they’re a creepy old man or something, and the thought is enough to make him shudder. Besides, he was sure that Hyunjin would be a little more grossed out or a little more annoyed if that were the case.

His friend rests a hand on his shoulder and leans in close, gesturing vaguely to his right. “The person with dark blue hair and the bright blue tank-top.”

“That’s a lot of blue.” Seungmin mutters as he spots the person Hyunjin mentioned. Immediately, he feels a heat crawl up his neck when he realizes that the person, in fact, is not a creepy old dude (thank god), but rather someone around his age, with a nose ring and multiple piercings in their ears. They’re attractive, in an unconventional sort of way. They’re all sharp edges, all except their eyes, which light up with the flirty smirk they put on when they notice Seungmin looking. They raise an eyebrow and wave their fingers just a little, very clearly thinking they had some kind of effect in doing that. Seungmin, careful to steel himself and neutralize his expression, averts his gaze to his pizza. It’s not easy though, when he can feel blush crawling farther up his neck and over his cheeks.

“They’re hot!” Jisung all but yells into Seungmin’s ear, a little unceremoniously, leaning over just a little to get a closer look at the person. “I wonder what their pronouns are.”

“Yes, they are.” Hyunjin agrees. “Wouldn’t you agree, Seungmin?” 

Seungmin wants to slap that smug smirk right off his face.

Instead, he just steals another glance at the admirer, to find them _still_ staring with that same smirk. Seungmin’s knees feel weak. He stares pointedly at his food, rolling his feet back and forth (he’s been wearing his old skates since he arrived at the rink). Unsure of what to do with his hands, he picks up his lollipop and starts tearing off small pieces of the wrapper. A nervous habit, he knows, but he can’t help it. “Sure, they’re okay, I guess.” 

“You _guess?!”_ Jisung howls, throwing themself onto Seungmin’s shoulders dramatically. “If I weren’t already in a previous engagement, I’d be _all_ over them.”

“‘Previous engagement’? Is that what we’re calling your hopeless crush now?” Hyunjin coos. “Does he even know you exist?”

“I’ve said hi to him before!” Jisung shot back, their nose scrunching up as it does when they’re trying to appear intimidating. “And don’t forget when I accidentally stole his laundry!”

“Does that even count as interacting?” Seungmin laughs a little. “I mean, you showed up on the man’s doorstep with an armful of sopping wet laundry. I remember when you came to _me_ first asking if it was mine.”

He remembers that day very clearly, in fact. It was the day they met Hyunjin. Despite Seungmin’s amusement (and mild annoyance at having his study session interrupted), he still put his things aside to help Jisung find the owner of the clothes. Apparently, the man Jisung was crushing on _now_ —Lee Minho, Seungmin tells himself. He doesn't want to forget, since it’s important to Jisung—had split his laundry up and put it in each of the washers in their dorm laundry room. Jisung hadn’t had the chance to do their own laundry for two weeks, better focused on more important things, and was very clearly disgruntled at the fact that some _asshole_ was keeping them from doing that. Their words, not Seungmin’s.

Hyunjin had been the third person they asked about the laundry. Seungmin recognized the boy, vaguely, he was sure that Hyunjin was a dance student, but he can’t remember. Jisung lit up in recognition immediately, though, when Hyunjin swung the door open. (“Seungminnie!” Jisung had exclaimed, all previous annoyance forgotten. “he’s the guy who introduced me to our lollipops! Wow… small world.”) Hyunjin was more amused about Jisung’s inconvenience, with the soaking wet armful of laundry currently drenching the poor kid’s sleeves and front of their sweatshirt, because for some ungodly reason, Jisung hadn’t used their basket to transport them. 

Hyunjin had been the one to direct them to Minho, after recognizing the annoyingly bright green sweater at the top of the pile—honestly, green? what kind of weirdo wears _bright green_ sweaters?—and ended up tagging along for two reasons. One, to direct them to Minho; two, he was very curious about how things would pan out. In the time it took for them to reach Minho’s apartment, numbers were exchanged and promises to meet for coffee in the near future were made, and then Minho opened his door, shirtless and groggy from sleep, and Jisung was a goner.

Seungmin shakes himself out of his thoughts and narrows his eyes challengingly at Jisung. The blond blinks at him, like they momentarily forgot he was even there. They open their mouth to respond, at least, that's what Seungmin assumes they were doing. Instead, they shake Seungmin a little, their eyes wide as they stare at something else, just to the right of their table. “They’re coming over here!”

“Who—?” Seungmin follows his gaze, and sees that his “admirer” is approaching their table. He panics, hiding his face in his hands. “Oh my god.”

Hyunjin just laughs, loud and smug, and Jisung won’t stop squealing in his ear. Seungmin doesn't even bother moving his hands until they both settle down. When he finally peeks between his fingers, he sees the stranger smiling down at him. He’s trying his best to _not_ look directly at them for more than a few seconds, his social anxiety kicking up out of nowhere. He knows Jisung can tell this much, they’d been friends forever now, so of course it makes sense that the blond would be very aware of Seungmin’s body language (eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, fingers tapping the table nervously), but their quiet way of squeezing Seungmin’s knee under the table in a gesture of comfort really does have him relaxing.

“Hey.” The person says, that smirk _still_ on their face. Their voice catches Seungmin off guard, for some reason he expected it to be deeper, but he supposes not everyone can be Felix. 

“ _Hi.”_ The word comes out an octave too high. Hyunjin stifles a snort, which is more than Jisung does, who outright cackles. Seungmin’s cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he clears his throat. “Hi.” 

They smile more that time, almost as if they're satisfied with the reaction they managed to elicit from Seungmin. They hold a hand out then—smears of dried paint staining the skin of their fingers—tilting their head and regarding Seungmin with dark eyes. “I’m Changbin.”

Upon closer inspection, because he finally allows himself to make eye contact with them—it was polite, afterall—, Seungmin realizes that 'Changbin’ has a tattoo sleeve and a lip ring to match their decorated ears. Even in the dim lighting, with laser lights and blacklights mixing on their face, they’re even more attractive up close. From afar, they had looked kind of funny under the lighting—still extremely attractive, but in a funny way. Up close, they’re intimidatingly attractive, but then again, pretty people had always intimidated Seungmin.

He would never admit it, but when he first met Hyunjin, he had been extremely intimidated by his looks. The second time they met had been in the cafeteria a week later. The older boy had popped up in front of him with his bright smile and scrunched eyes, plush lips still _somehow_ thick even when stretched like that. Seungmin had been a blushing mess for the rest of the day, ignoring Jisung’s teasing remarks the whole time (Another thing he would never admit, though Jisung knew, was his short-lived crush on Hyunjin. But that was more of a physical attraction to a pretty boy more than anything). After getting to know Hyunjin’s personality, the shock factor of his pretty lips and sharp tongue and sparkling eyes quickly wore off. The boy’s clumsiness and dramatics had a way of humbling him.

Sitting here now, staring at ‘Changbin’, their sharp features and kind, dark eyes, it suddenly hits him that he really needs to get out more. He hasn’t really seen someone this attractive since Hyunjin, or even Felix—Hell, Jisung, even, though god forbid they ever find out that Seungmin thinks that—and absolute panic overtakes him. He knows that he should say _something_ before he ends up looking like a weirdo, but he only manages to croak out an _“uh”,_ his voice and limbs rendered practically useless as he just _stares_ at Changbin’s hand. Some part of him is screaming to grab it and shake it, like any reasonable person would do, but Seungmin’s palms feel sweaty and his knees are numb. He was sure that if he had been standing, he would’ve collapsed by now.

When he’s quiet for too many long moments, Jisung takes the opportunity to butt in rather loudly and rudely, their voice as obnoxious as always. Their arm lands over Seungmin’s shoulder, shaking the latter out of his panicked state. “His name is Seungmin! What are your pronouns?” They yell right in Seungmin’s ear, again, and Seungmin lightly elbows them in the gut, to which Jisung responds with a quiet _‘oof’,_ rubbing a hand over the spot Seungmin hit.

“ _Jisung!”_ Hyunjin hisses, finally standing up and grabbing them by the arm, dragging them away from the table now. He had been quiet up until now, Seungmin only vaguely aware of his searing and curious gaze boring holes into the side of his head for the past couple of minutes.

Seungmin exhales, long and quiet, as he reaches up to fix his hair as soon as Jisung and Hyunjin are out of earshot. “Sorry about them.”

Changbin chuckles and waves him off. “It’s not a big deal. My friends are just as bad. And to answer your friend’s question, I go by he, him.”

“Cool. Me too.” He responds, the corners of his lips twitching up. For some reason, he finds himself gesturing to the seat across from himself and Changbin doesn't hesitate to sit. He isn’t offering his hand anymore, and Seungmin doesn't know what to think of that. He doesn't push, though, and sticks his own hands in his lap, where he traces the lines of his palms—another nervous habit of his.

“So, those your friends?” Changbin asks, nodding behind Seungmin. The question is a little awkward, since the answer is obvious, but Seungmin appreciates Changbin’s attempt to start a conversation. 

Seungmin glances over his shoulder to see Jisung whining because they _finally_ realized they had dropped their pop and they didn't have anymore on them (Seungmin only then remembers his own, long forgotten lollipop in that moment, still sitting on the table, the wrapper folded under it to keep the germs from spreading to it) while Hyunjin was trying to figure out if he could buy one from the kitchen. He smiles to himself, small and barely there, as he looks back at Changbin. “Unfortunately.”

Changbin laughs, a little high-pitched, but it’s cute in comparison to the rest of him. Seungmin tries to ignore the weird tingling in his chest.

“Unfortunately, huh?” Changbin muses, his lips curling into a cheshire-like grin. He props his chin up with his hand, leaning towards Seungmin just so slightly. His hair covers his eyebrows as he raises them in question, and Seungmin can tell that he’s trying to keep the flirtatious demeanor, but it’s hard considering the direction the conversation was going.

“Yeah. They’re loud and kind of annoying and honestly, living with them is a chore, but I love them.” Seungmin responds. “Don’t ever tell them that, though.”

“Oh, my lips are sealed.” Changbin drags his index and thumb across his lips in a zipping motion, and then he tilts his head. “So, you’re not skating, but you’re wearing your skates. I don’t think I’ve seen you on the floor at all tonight.” He comments. “So, what brings you here?”

“Saturday nights are roller rink nights.” Seungmin blurts. He feels his cheeks warm at just how random that had been, and he can only think, _idiot_ . “It’s tradition for Hyunjinnie, Jisung and I to come here every saturday. I was planning on skating later.” He explains further, rubbing his hands together. “You’re not wearing skates, though, so what brings _you_ here?”

Changbin hums. “I was bored, saw the 80s night poster outside. Figured I’d give it a go.” He shrugged, and Seungmin wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light or something else, but the way Changbin’s shoulder dropped a fraction and his face fell just slightly had Seungmin frowning. “But I’m glad I did, since I met you.”

And as quickly as the sympathy for the man appeared, it was gone, replaced with a prickle of annoyance. “You’re terrible at flirting.” He grumbles.

“But you admit I’m flirting.” Changbin replies, easily, as though he had been waiting for that.

“You’re flirting like you just walked out of a wattpad fanfiction.” Seungmin somewhat avoids Changbin’s statement, yet still answers it, despite the weird way he words his remark.

Changbin cackles, loud and obnoxious. And Seungmin thought Jisung was bad. “And I’m guessing _you_ have extensive knowledge on flirting?”

Seungmin opens his mouth to answer, fully prepared to fire back, but then he realizes that no, he doesn't have any knowledge on flirting, actually. He’s never even been flirted _with_ , always on the sidelines while Jisung or Hyunjin were the ones getting any sort of action. He preferred it that way, really, so just the fact that someone was talking to _him_ over his friends still was a mystery to him. He just clamps his mouth shut and leans back in his chair as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Whatever.” 

Changbin smirks, satisfaction painted all over his face, and Seungmin fights the urge to roll his eyes. “Are you just gonna sit there and stare at me now?”

“I mean, I could, if you want.” Changbin replies easily. “You’re hot, in a nerdy sort of way, so I definitely wouldn’t complain.”

Seungmin’s cheeks heat up but he just scowls further. “You _really_ suck at flirting.”

“And yet you’re blushing.”

“...Shut up.”

Changbin has Seungmin locked in a stare, regarding him with an odd sort of curiosity. Seungmin really doesn't know what to do with himself, and he’s starting to feel his own anxiety acting up. He bounces his knee up and down, as best as he can despite the skates still strapped to his feet. When he glances up from the lollipop _still_ sitting on the table and meets Changbin’s eyes, the latter finally looks away for the first time since he sat down. 

“You’re interesting, Seungmin.” Changbin says finally, his eyes wide. “I hope our paths continue to cross.”

“You’re leaving?” Seungmin frowns. He hopes he doesn't sound too disappointed.

Changbin smiles, standing up and tapping his wrist as if he had a watch there. “Promised my roommate I wouldn't be out long, so I need to head back.”

“Ah, okay.” Seungmin just nods.

“See you around, I hope.”

“Yeah, see you around.” Seungmin sounds small, even to his own ears. He just watches as Changbin smiles one last time, the expression kinder than the others, and stands, walking out of the rink without a single glance back. Seungmin exhales, a breath leaving his mouth that he didn't even know he was holding. He only gets a second to collect himself before Jisung throws themself at him from the side.

“I can’t believe some guy just flirted with you!” The blonde yells, sounding way too over excited for Seungmin’s liking. They clearly have no regard for privacy or the other people in the seated area.

“He wasn’t flirting.” Seungmin mutters, but his voice is weak. He can’t really make his lie believable, because he was sure that it was obvious to anyone who paid enough attention that Changbin was _absolutely_ flirting.

“He was _totally_ flirting.” Hyunjin sides with Jisung as he takes the seat next to Seungmin this time. Seungmin just shoots him a glare and thinks, _traitor._

Seungmin just stares at his hands, chewing on the inside of his lip. “Whatever.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Changbin likes Strawberry Bubblegum.

He doesn’t know when his love for it started, really. Maybe it was in middle school when Minho Lee sat next to him in math class at the start of their second semester, or maybe it was just one of those things that he always loved. He just can’t pinpoint the exact moment when he really latched onto it, but he knows that ever since that day in math, he’s always had a pack of it on hand.

He’d recently run out of his favorite treat though, his roommate, Chris, having stolen the last piece a couple days prior. He hadn’t had the chance to buy more until now, at eleven PM, on a dark night. The clouds gathering in the sky told him it was going to rain, but he assumed he would have enough time to make a quick run to the convenience store down the street; especially if he took his skateboard.

That assumption was poorly calculated though, not that Changbin is _really_ surprised. The weather had a funny way of never really working in his favor. He’s now found himself trapped in the convenience store as a torrential downpour rattles the one door that never quite closes all the way. Changbin can smell the rainwater, and in any other circumstance, he might enjoy it. Just not when it was late and he had an essay to complete.

He takes his time walking up and down the isles, figuring that while he’s here, he might as well stock up on any snacks that he and Chan had run out of. He grabs a handful of instant ramen packets and a variety of chip flavors and grabs a case of peach-flavored tea. He saves his gum for last, since that’s located at the front. There’s no one standing at the register when he drops his armload on the counter, and upon leaning over as best he could at his height, he notices a vaguely familiar streak of purple hair behind some boxes. 

“Hello?” He calls out. The person hiding drops their phone in surprise, but they ignore it in favor of peeking over the boxes. Sure enough, he sees the boy from the roller rink, his eyes wide in shock. He waves when they make eye contact and the boy scowls.

“Don’t just sneak up on people like that!” Seungmin—if Changbin remembers correctly, from the boy’s friend yelling it out for him—grumbles and he stands up. Instead of the vibrant pink and green letterman jacket (Changbin had thought it was the most absurd thing he’d ever seen, but he can’t really judge too much. He’s had weirder things in his closet) and small, round, pink glasses he was wearing at the rink, he’s dressed in a dull, white polo t-shirt with the 7-eleven logo and black slacks. Somehow, even with the harsh lighting and ridiculous uniform, he still looks good. 

“It’s kind of hard to not sneak up on you when you’re hiding during work hours so you can watch,” He pauses, leaning over the counter a little more to peek at the boy’s phone. “Anime.” 

Seungmin hisses and snatches his phone off the floor, hastily closing out of the app and shoving the device into his pocket. “I didn't think anyone would be showing up because of the rain and I haven’t caught up on this new season and my friend won’t stop badgering me about it.” He snaps, a very obvious blush rising to his cheeks as he waves his hands around in obvious frustration,

“Hey, I’m not judging.” Changbin holds his hands up in surrender. 

Seungmin just rolls his eyes and finally walks over to the counter to start scanning Changbin’s snacks. He stops though, his hand hovering over the first instant ramen pack. Changbin glances up at him through his lashes, raising an eyebrow, but the boy just points an accusing finger at him. “Y-You’re the guy from the roller rink!”

Changbin blinks at him. He thought Seungmin had already recognized him. Still, he snorts and leans down to grab his favorite gum, tossing it onto the counter with the rest of his snacks. “Yeah, I am. You’re the kid who was wearing skates but not skating.”

“I told you, I was going to! But then _someone_ sat down and started a terrible attempt at flirting with me!” Seungmin fumes, complete with a tiny stomp of his foot and his nose wrinkling in annoyance. He looked impossibly cute.

“Oohhh sure, of course.” Changbin smirks. “Blame it all on me.”

“Shut up.” Seungmin mutters and finally grabs the ramen packet so he can scan the price tag. “What are you even doing out here? It’s late and raining.”

Changbin grabs the gum packet, waving it just a little. “I like strawberry bubblegum and my roommate ate my last piece.” He explains. “Also, it wasn’t raining when I left. I thought I’d have enough time to make it back.”

Seungmin raises an eyebrow at the gum packet, but he doesn't comment on it. He just clicks his tongue, a quiet, tutting sound. “You don't check the weather before you leave your house?”

“I like living on the edge.” Changbin sings, leaning on the counter and waving his hand in an arc through the air. 

Seungmin just stares at him, expression blank, clearly unimpressed with the statement. “That’s ridiculous.” 

His flat tone catches Changbin a little off guard, and he’s left wondering if Seungmin actually meant that or not. The latter doesn't notice Changbin staring, slack jawed, right away, but when he does, his cheeks turn pink and he stares pointedly at the cash register in front of him as he presses a couple buttons to total the price. “Sorry.”

Changbin just smiles instead. “What do I owe you?”

He knows Seungmin is staring at him again, but he disregards the gaze as he pulls out his wallet, fishing through it for his card. He has yet to get his paycheck, and he’s already blown through most of his last payment on rent and records. Hopefully there was enough for this. When he looks up at Seungmin, his lips parted and an unreadable expression in his eyes, he just raises an eyebrow. Quickly, the boy shakes himself out of his trance and takes the card. “Your total comes out to fifteen dollars and thirty cents.” Is all he says before swiping the card.

Okay, that’s good. That leaves him enough money to last another week, thankfully. He smiles when Seungmin hands him his card and a receipt and pushes the plastic bags full of his snacks towards him. Changbin quickly sticks his card back in his wallet and fishes through one of the bags, pulling out the gum packet. He opens it, pulling one piece out, and offers it to Seungmin.

“Um,” Seungmin’s eyebrows furrow with a frown as he takes the gum. “Thank you?” 

“Consider yourself my friend now.” Changbin tells him. Seungmin just looks more confused, still holding the piece of gum with an unsure touch, as though it might burn him or explode. “I don’t let just anyone have a piece of my gum—much less the first piece.”

“We’ve only met twice.” Seungmin mumbles, but his grip on the gum relaxes a little. “I don’t even know your last name.”

“Seo.” Changbin provides. “Changbin Seo.”

Seungmin’s mouth forms an ‘o’ shape, and Changbin could swear he sees a ghost of a smile on the boy’s face. “I’m Seungmin Kim.”

“Pretty.” Changbin says, and he relishes in the way Seungmin’s cheeks grow a beautiful shade of pink.

“Thanks.” The boy whispers. And then, louder, “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the storm to fizzle out a little? I shouldn't really do this, but no one else is working tonight and there’s space back here if you wanna sit and like… eat your gum, or whatever.”

“Does this mean you’re warming up to me, Seungmin Kim? I mean, breaking the rules for someone you barely know?” Changbin can’t help teasing the boy. His buttons are easy to push, and he likes the way he can easily make Seungmin blush.

“Would you rather I kick you out and make you walk home in the rain?” Seungmin deadpans, his expression never swaying from practically unimpressed. It’s clearly a practiced look for him, because he wears it so easily. Changbin silently vows to make him smile, a proper smile, no matter how long it takes. 

“Okay, okay. Thank you, really.” Changbin waves his hands and grabs his bags, slipping behind the counter when Seungmin lifts the gate-slash-counter thing that separates the back of the store from the rest of it.

“Just try and stay quiet if someone else comes in.” Seungmin huffs and disappears into the backroom then.

Changbin smiles.

  
  
  
  
  


Seungmin meets Changbin again at their university, a week later.

It’s funny, really, if he thinks about it. He had never even seen the guy once in his life, and then after one chance meeting at his roller rink, it’s like the universe can’t stop putting them in each other’s path.

So when Seungmin sees Changbin with his head in his hands and a baggy hoodie in place of his usual tank-tops, matching the well-worn cap on his head, sitting in a dim corner of the campus library with textbooks and a dingy-looking notebook open in front of him, he’s not as shocked as he thought he would be. He considers just leaving the boy alone, since it’s clear that he is _not_ in the best mood, and Seungmin knows that if it were himself, he’d want to be left alone. 

He’s turning away so he can sneak off quietly when he hears Changbin’s voice. “ Seungmin Kim! Funny running into you here!”

Yeah, Seungmin thinks, _funny._

He turns back around and puts on his best smile. “Hey, didn’t see you there.” A white lie, but he doesn't know if Changbin wanted to know that Seungmin had caught him at a bad moment. The blue-haired boy just smiles and gestures to the chair across from him, inviting him to sit. Seungmin hesitates, unsure if he should accept, but he does have a free period right now. Originally, he had gone to the library to look for a book he hadn’t read yet, but talking to Changbin seems like a better use of his time, if he’s honest. So, he slides his bag off his shoulder and pulls the free chair out from the table, carefully lowering himself into it.

“So, what brings you to the library?” Changbin asks as he closes his notebook, setting it aside with the rest of his textbooks. They were calculus textbooks, Seungmin notes. Changbin struggles with math, which is funny, since Seungmin was actually really good at it. It also makes him wonder what Changbin majored in.

Again, he finds himself wondering how he had never even seen Changbin before, not once, in his entire three years at the university.

“Had a free period and came for a little light reading, but I’ve read almost everything in this library. Finding something I haven't read yet is kind of hard.” He shrugs, as though that’s normal, though judging from the confusion on Changbin’s face, it clearly is _not_ to him.

“How much do you read?” Changbin ponders aloud, his expression slowly morphing into something akin to disbelief.

“Um…” Seungmin thinks about it for a moment. Usually, if it's a good week he finishes at least a book and a half, sometimes two full books, depending on how thick the book is. But that's only if he has the time what with the amount of schoolwork he’s assigned almost each week. Jisung has teased him a handful of times for it, but that was just his way of showing he was impressed. Seungmin just shrugs in response to Changbin’s question. “A lot, I suppose. I’ve never really thought about it before.”

Changbin stares at him for a moment, and then he shrugs as well. “Cool. I wish I had the attention span to read like that but, well, most of my focus goes into music and art.”

“You draw- wait, you make music?” Seungmin gapes at him. For some reason, he didn’t peg Changbin as the artist type, but then again, looking at the man, it starts to make sense, considering the tattoos decorating his skin and the dangling earrings hanging from his ears. From what he’s seen, a lot of the artistic types on campus looked somewhat similar to him. Jisung was a perfect example of that, with their own tattoos and piercings and especially since they’d recently dyed their hair again, the blonde hair replaced with pink-streaked blue. They were experimenting, is what they told Seungmin when asked. _That’s the third time this month_ , Seungmin thinks, how his friend’s hair isn’t absolutely fried by now is a mystery.

“I’m a music production major and I take art classes on the side, so yeah, I guess.” Changbin nods. He looks a little shy talking about it. “Most of my art is actually done with a spray can—Not graffiti! on canvases, commissions mostly.” He’s quick to explain himself, when he sees the way Seungmin’s expression morphs into confusion.

But then Seungmin is smiling, his sudden wonder and admiration that Changbin could actually create works of art with his own hands. Seungmin had never been much of an artist, the height of his skill amounting to poorly drawn chibis and stick figures in the corners of his homework pages when he’s bored. “That’s so cool!” He can’t help exclaiming, his eyes widening. Thinking about it, he thinks he remembers seeing the paint smears on Changbin’s hand when they met. He can’t believe he didn't put two and two together earlier. “Can I see some of your pieces?”

“Oh, um,” Changbin’s cheeks redden for the first time since Seungmin had met him, and weirdly enough, he finds himself actually liking it. He looks pretty. “I don’t have any pictures of my art on hand right now…”

“That’s alright.” Seungmin reassures and just leans back in his seat. This is easy. Casual talk with Changbin is easy. It’s easier than flirting, because Seungmin doesn't know how to return that. He doesn't know how to react to it, and everytime Changbin does it, he feels his heart race and his fingers tremble. Just because he knows when someone’s flirting, doesn't mean he knows how to handle it when it's directed at him.

“I never asked, so I hope you don’t mind me asking now,” Changbin starts, but he pauses to gauge Seungmin’s reaction. When the latter just gives him a quizzical look, he continues. “How old are you? I just want to know if I’m older or younger.”

“Oh, I turned 20 in September, I was born in 2000.” Seungmin replies.

Changbin smiles, leaning back in his own seat. “I turned 21 in August. I’m a ‘99 liner.” 

“Ahhh, you’re older than me.” Seungmin groans, dramatically slumping in his seat. He’s mostly just teasing Changbin, and the smile the older gives him tells him that Changbin knows that.

“You have to start respecting me now.” Changbin points at him, his eyebrows raised and a cheshire-grin on his face.

“It’s the end of the world.” Seungmin replies flatly, letting his head fall back against his chair. Changbin laughs, loud and full, despite the rule of silence the library enforces. Seungmin doesn't even care when one of the librarians rounds the corner and hisses at them to be quiet, he’s too busy smiling to himself at Changbin’s laugh.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Changbin makes a habit of visiting Seungmin at the 7-11.

He tells himself it's just because the store just _happens_ to be close to his apartment, but deep down he knows it's just an excuse to see Seungmin more.

It took him a little trial and error, trying to figure out the boy’s schedule, but soon he’s visiting every Tuesday at 7 am to 10 am (Seungmin said he has afternoon classes on Tuesdays) and every Friday from 9 pm to 12 am. After Changbin insisted on staying for the full shift, Seungmin had taken to letting him hang out in the backroom, even though that was technically against the rules, or whatever. Changbin thought that was just Seungmin’s way of saying this meant something a little more, like Changbin giving him a piece of his gum.

When Changbin walks into the store at exactly 9 pm, Seungmin has a bag of lollipops.

“Those for me?” Changbin teases as he marches right past the counter and ducks under the lifted part. 

“No, Jisung ran out again. They’re supposed to be here in a couple minutes to pick it up.” Seungmin sighs, grabbing the bag and holding it up, regarding it with a scowl. “They really have a problem.”

“Why do they eat so many, anyways?” Changbin asks, dropping off his bag in the backroom before leaning against the counter next to Seungmin.

“Something about it helping their anxiety.” Seungmin answers. He sets the bag back down and turns his attention to Changbin, reaching up to fix the cap hiding his recently bleached hair. Changbin figures he’ll be dyeing it again soon. “Anyways, hi.”

Changbin smirks. They’ve only been doing this for a couple of weeks now, but it only took those couple weeks for Seungmin to start opening up to Changbin more. They still hadn’t exchanged numbers, their only interactions being face to face, but Changbin oddly liked it that way. They're not close, per say, Changbin doesn't even know Seungmin’s favorite color or his favorite food, and he still doesn't know the boy’s major, but they’ve fit each other into their schedules. Their friendship—if you can call it that—is odd, to say the least. 

“Hi.” He says, and just to mess with Seungmin, he leans towards the taller boy just a little.

Seungmin jerks backs, his cheeks flushed, and he just scowls again. “Go sit in the backroom before someone catches you.” 

“You mean the cameras haven't already done that? C’mon, if anyone _really_ cared, you probably would’ve gotten in trouble already.” Changbin laughs, but he still pushes off the counter and dips into the backroom. He doesn't stay there, though, only kneels next to his bag. He remembered to grab one of his most recent paintings, a smaller canvas since he was running out of money to buy the bigger ones, but before he can go show Seungmin, he hears a new voice.

“Oh! Thank god, Seungmin. You’re a lifesaver.” The new voice says. Changbin guesses that’s Jisung. He remembers the somewhat deeper, almost nasally sound of their voice from the roller rink.

“Yeah, yeah. Are you gonna buy anything else or can I kick you out now?” Seungmin tries to sound annoyed, but Changbin can hear a smile in his voice.

“Let me grab a drink for Hyunjinnie and I. Do you want something too? I’ll pay for it!” Jisung’s voice, despite sounding farther away, was still loud. Changbin snorts softly to himself.

“Well, if you’re paying, grab me a banana milk.” Seungmin calls back.

The store is quiet for the next following moments, only the quiet sound of whatever song is playing on the radio to fill the silence. Changbin peeks out, looking in Seungmin’s direction, and the boy just waves him off. He smiles, but closes the door when Jisung rounds the corner and sets the drinks on the counters. Changbin doesn’t really pay attention as Seungmin and his friend converse quietly, but then Jisung’s voice lowers as they whisper something, and Changbin doesn't catch it. Seungmin makes a sound in the back of his throat, and Changbin leans out of the doorway in time to see Seungmin shoving Jisung back with a scowl, his face red.

“I hate you so much!” Seungmin hisses, but Jisung just laughs. “Take your lollipops and go bother Hyunjin instead.”

“Bye bye, Seungminnie!” Jisung sings, and then their eyes land on Changbin and their smile widens. “And Changbinnie!”

Seungmin’s head whips around to look at Changbin, and Changbin just gives him a sheepish smile. Jisung cackles as they turn on the ball of their foot and skips out of the store. Seungmin keeps glaring at Changbin, his mouth set in a thin line. “I told you to stay back there.”

“What can I say, I’m a very curious person!” Changbin whines, but he tries to stifle a laugh when Seungmin just stares pointedly at the counter instead. “I didn't hear whatever they whispered to you, if that makes you feel better.”

Seungmin’s shoulders instantly relax, and Changbin figures that’s what it was that was bothering him. He’s even more curious now, but he doesn't push his boundaries. Instead, he just walks over to the boy and sets the painting on the counter in front of him. It’s a heart with flowers growing out of the pulmonary veins and the major arteries. Thorny vines wrap around the organ, tight, to make it seem like they’re digging into it. It’s one of Changbin’s simpler works, but still his favorite. 

Seungmin stares at it, his eyes wide, as he carefully picks up to hold it under the light a little better. “Bin, this is beautiful.”

Changbin blinks in surprise at the nickname. Weirdly enough, despite the fact that he hadn’t thought they were that casual in their friendship yet, he actually likes Seungmin calling him that. “It’s a little cliché, but the professor asked us to portray what love feels like to us. To me, it feels like there’s thorns wrapped around my heart, but it’s still beautiful, hence the flowers.” He explains as he points to the plants. “I picked chrysanthemums and roses because those are the most basic flowers of love.” 

Seungmin stares at him, expression unreadable, as always. Changbin has come to learn that about the boy, that he’s probably the hardest person to read that Changbin has ever known. Still, he makes it his mission to try and figure out what’s going through his head. 

“You put a lot of thought into this.” Seungmin mumbles. He turns his attention back to the painting.

“Yeah, well… I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, so I decided to go all out.” He shrugs. Seungmin snorts at ‘heart’ and Changbin can’t help but smile just a little at the irony of it.

“That’s sweet. You’ve got a real talent for this.” Seungmin says as he hands the painting back to Changbin.

“Thank you.” Is all Changbin can say. He knows his cheeks are probably red now, but he always gets shy when someone praises his work. He can’t help it, really, how warm and tingly it makes him feel. For some reason, the praise coming from Seungmin has him shyer than usual, though.

Seungmin smiles, a real smile, something Changbin doesn't see often from him. It makes his heart soar. The younger opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but then the store doors open, and Changbin has to dart into the backroom before the new customer spots him.

He doesn't stop smiling for the rest of the night.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“So, what’s his name?” Minho, Changbin’s best friend, asks as he sits across from him at lunch a week later.

“Who?” Changbin asks, even though he already knows. 

“Roller rink kid!” Minho exclaims as he unwraps his fork from the plastic.

Changbin tries to hide his smile as he takes out a piece of gum and pops it in his mouth. “Ah, him.” Changbin hums. “Seungmin Kim.”

“I thought so. He’s friends with that kid that stole my laundry.” Minho nods in affirmation. He looks proud of himself for piecing that puzzle together.

“And how do you know this?” Changbin raises an eyebrow at his friend.

“Jisung—the kid that stole my laundry—was talking about it the other day.” Minho answers. There’s an odd look on his face as he talks about Jisung, an expression Changbin can’t quite place. He makes a mental note to ask him about it later.

“Do you have to say they stole your laundry every time you bring them up?” Changbin snorts. “And how do you know they were talking about it? Have you two been hanging out?”

“They _finally_ caught on that I was flirting with them whenever we saw each other. Only took them a year and a half.” Minho grumbles, he looks a little miffed about that, but even then, there’s a hint of smile on his face. “They were at my dorm the other night.”

“They live off campus, right?” Minho nods. “So what were they doing at your dorm? Isn’t that like, against the rules, or whatever?”

“Technically they were visiting Felix, but then Felix all but shoved them out of his door when they saw me and well… one thing led to another and now I have their number.” Minho actually smiles. “Finally.”

“Well, happy for you, Min. Finally got what you wanted.” Changbin smiles as well. He really is happy for Minho, his friend deserves this. Especially after the disaster that was his last relationship with Chris. Things were still really awkward between the two of them, and even more awkward for Changbin, being caught between them. He cares about both of them, but he had sided with Minho in the breakup, because Chris really did fuck up, so things were always tense in the apartment these days.

Honestly, things have always been tense in the apartment. Chris and Changbin had been close once, but after Chris’ first fight with Minho, and Minho had called Changbin in tears, Changbin had been a little resentful towards Chris. He had considered moving out once or twice, but he really didn't have anywhere else to go. Plus, the apartment had been his first, his parents having set him up in it, and he had let Chris move in when Minho declined. Minho had spent most of his time in the apartment because of Chris after that, anyways.

Minho sighs. “I hope so, at least. They’re a really nice kid and they always… I dunno, they don’t push. They’re perceptive _as fuck,_ and I know they can tell that I’m not exactly the most stable person, emotionally speaking, but they doesn’t push and… I dunno. They’re nice.”

“I’ve heard only good things about them from Seungmin.” Changbin reassures his friend. 

“Oh yeah!” Minho exclaims, slamming a hand on the table. The bubble Changbin was in the middle of blowing with his gum pops unexpectedly, sticking to his nose and he scowls as he tries to peel it off carefully. “The whole reason I started this conversation! Seungmin—you two have been spending a lot of time together.”

“Yes, Minho, we have. Thank you for that astute observation.” Changbin mutters as he spits his gum out onto a napkin and wraps it up, tossing it onto his empty tray.

“It’s been awhile since you made a new friend. How are you feeling about it?” There’s a tone of concern in Minho’s voice, maybe bordering on pity. It irks Changbin the wrong way.

“I’m fine, Min.” Changbin tries to keep his voice calm. When Minho just frowns at him, he sighs. “Really, I am. Seungmin is… nice. He’s fun to be around. He doesn’t push and he doesn't judge.” 

Minho winces just a little at that, but he accepts the answer. “Just be careful with your heart.”

With a weird tug in his heart, he nods. “I try my best.”

  
  
  
  
  


Seungmin doesn't like parties.

Hyunjin and Jisung like to attend all the big ones when they happen and very rarely do they get the chance to drag Seungmin out with them, since most of the time, he sends them off with the excuse of, _“I have homework!”_ or something else along those lines.

Tonight is a rare occasion.

“Oh, Seungminnie! I’m so happy you decided to come with us.” Hyunjin had practically squealed when Seungmin agreed to go with them. Seungmin just smiled and stayed silent as he and Jisung dressed him up. He felt kind of ridiculous, dressed in a loose-fitted, black, button up shirt with the front hanging open (courtesy of Jisung) and tight, ripped skinny jeans, (courtesy of Hyunjin), but despite feeling a little cold and just a little odd without his usual hoodie or sweater, he really does like how he looks in the mirror. 

“Yeah, well…” Seungmin shrugged. “I was bored, I guess.”

“Wow, Seungmin Kim? Bored?” Jisung teased, a smug smirk on their face. “You sure you don't have some essay to write or another book to read?”

Seungmin just shot them a glare. Hyunjin giggled and stuck a clip in Seungmin’s hair, the little hairpiece decorated with a little sparkly bow. It greatly contrasted the rest of his outfit, and seemed a little unnecessary, given all the hairspray keeping his hair in place, but he liked it.

Arriving at the party wasn’t a fun experience for Seungmin. They were late, since Jisung spent too long deciding between two different jackets (they looked the same to Seungmin), since they wanted to impress someone (Minho). When the three of them got out of Hyunjin’s car, the lawn was already crawling with drunk people, Seungmin spotted a couple of people crying on the curb as their friends comforted them, while another person just laid in the grass, mumbling to themselves about something. That was nothing compared to the muffled sounds of the party raging inside, Seungmin was positive he could feel the music reverberating in his chest even from the lawn.

Hyunjin and Jisung had promised to stay close to Seungmin for the whole night, but he knew that was easy said in theory. As soon as Hyunjin broke off with the promise of getting drinks, and didn’t return, Seungmin could only count down the minutes until Jisung disappeared as well. They never did though, to Seungmin’s surprise and relief. Not right away, at least.

“Seungmin,” Jisung nudged him. “Isn’t that roller rink guy?”

“You know his name, ‘sung.” Seungmin mutters, but turns to look where Jisung is pointing. Sure enough, Changbin was leaning against the wall across from them. He was talking to someone, but Seungmin couldn’t see them through the crowd.

“Well? You’re not gonna go say hi?” Jisung asks, the smile on their face telling Seungmin that they were enjoying this a little too much.

“I don’t see why I should.” Seungmin shrugs and turns back around. He stares down at the untouched drink in his hand, the dark brown liquid looking extremely unappetizing. “We’re not that close.”  
  


“No, he just learned your work schedule so he could bring you breakfast and dinner and sit with you for the entire shift.” Jisung responds, their tone deadpan, but they’re still smiling way too much.

“That’s on him.” Seungmin scoffs.

“‘Kay, well, he’s coming over!” Jisung chirps. “And I see Minho, so I’m gonna go over there now!”

“Wh- Jisung!” Seungmin stares, dumbfounded, as his friends skips off into the crowd. 

He’s quickly distracted by Changbin coming to a stop in front of him, and for a moment his brain short-circuits at the sight of the man in a plunging v-neck shirt and tight pants, and he tries not to stare at the bare skin of his chest.

“You know, Seungmin, if we keep running into each other like this, I’m going to start wondering if you’re following me.” Changbin states. His words sound harsh, but his face is all smiles.

Still, Seungmin feels his cheeks heat up. “How do I know you’re not the one following _me?”_ He bites back, a pout on his lips. “Plus, _you’re_ the one who shows up at _my_ job every week!”

Changbin laughs loud over the music, an amused smile on his face. “Admit it, you love seeing my handsome face!”

“I do not. I wish you'd stop following me everywhere.” Seungmin grumbles with a roll of his eyes, but a smile tugs at his lips. He likes hearing Changbin laugh.

“Somehow I just find that _reaaally_ hard to believe.” Changbin’s tone is lilted, and a smirk is playing on his lips. Seungmin has to forcibly keep his face steeled, even though a smile tried to fight its way to the surface. Changbin breaks first, leaning back on his heels and jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. “Wanna get out of here? I’m in the mood for a burger.”

Seungmin glances in the direction of the kitchen, where multiple boxes of pizza laid open next to a platter of store bought sandwiches and decides that a burger seems more appetizing. So he nods in response to Changbin as he hugs himself. Changbin smiles and turns, disappearing into the crowd with Seungmin hot on his heels.

The drive to the diner is quiet, mostly, aside from the quiet music drifting from the radio and Changbin softly humming along, his fingers tapping the beat out on the steering wheel. Seungmin leans against the door, his window rolled down halfway and the wind whipping gently against his face. He stares out at the passing houses and town buildings, stores and restaurants he’d grown up around, and a soft smile spreads across his face.

“We’re here.” Changbin finally speaks as he pulls into the small parking lot. There’s only a pickup truck and a couple of other cars, which is a relief to Seungmin. The diner would be quiet tonight, a stark contrast to the party—not that he minded. He unbuckles and slides out of the car, pulling his phone out to shoot Jisung a quick text to let them know he left and was safe before following Changbin into the restaurant. They pick a booth near the back next to a window, giving them a perfect view of Seungmin’s favorite thrift store across the street; dimmed and quiet since it was closed for the night.

“What are you gonna order?” Changbin asks as he pulls out the menus from the condiment holder at the end of the table. He passes one to Seungmin and lays the other flat in front of him, scanning over his options.

“Classic burger with a choco chip and caramel malt.” Seungmin recites as he’s done a million times before. He eats here at least three to four times a week with Hyunjin and Jisung and rarely does his order change. The diner has the best burgers in the world, though, so it’s easy to never tire of them.

“Good choice, good choice.” Changbin nods. He stares at his menu for a couple seconds more before leaning back and tapping his fingers twice against the table. “I think I’ll get the spicy chicken sandwich with a vanilla and strawberry milkshake.” Seungmin wrinkles his nose a little in response and Changbin makes a confused sound in the back of his throat. “What?”

“I can’t eat spicy foods.” Seungmin mutters, and Changbin chuckles just a little. The younger scowls, sliding down in his seat just a little. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“Why can’t you eat spicy foods?” Changbin asks, curious yet amused.

“Mm… I just don’t like them. Too spicy and gross.” Seungmin shrugs, relaxing only a little. He only half-expects Changbin to make fun of him for that. “But like… you do you if you do like them, I guess. Jisung eats a lot of spicy stuff—y’know, when they’re not eating one of their pops.”

They share a laugh at that. “You talk about your friends a lot.” Changbin comments, but he doesn't sound upset. Instead, he smiles and adds, “It’s sweet, how much you care about them.”

“I’ve known Jisung since freshman year of highschool, we went through our puberty years together.” He shudders, remembering just how much of a menace Jisung had been back then, and Changbin chuckles. “but Hyunjin came into the picture only recently. He’s still one of my best friends though.” Seungmin explains as he sits up straight. He can’t help the way he smiles as he talks about his friends. “That story is funny, actually. How we met Hyunjinnie.”

“Oh yeah? tell me about it.” Changbin gestures to him encouragingly, and Seungmin tries to ignore the man’s eyes on him.

He launches into a dramatic retelling of The Laundry Incident, Only pausing to giggle and to order when the waitress finally stopped by—a girl maybe a couple years older than them, Momo is what her name tag reads, her pronouns scribbled next to it, as though she added it herself—to take their order. When he finishes with, “So, Jisung is the reason I’m stuck with two equally dramatic idiots”, a small, breathy laugh leaving his lips, Changbin laughs just a little too.

“Your friends sound delightful. I hope to properly meet them someday, since the last time I did, one of them was yelling about their lollipop and the other was not very subtle about staring at us the entire time we talked.” Changbin smiles, cheeky and wide.

Seungmin groans, sliding down in the seat again. “They’re literally so embarrassing.”

“That’s what friends are for, it seems.” 

“What about your friends?”

When Changbin falls silent, his expression faltering, Seungmin worries that he struck a nerve. “Sorry, That’s not my business.”

“No, it’s okay.” Changbin reassures. “They’re uh… they're nice. I met Chris—or Chan—through a mutual friend in highschool, and I met Minho in middle school. He actually is the one who introduced me to that gum I have.”

“Minho… Jisung's Minho?” Seungmin raises an eyebrow, his lips parted ever so slightly. 

“I think so, yeah.” Changbin nods.

“Huh, small world.”

“Yeah… small.” 

“Well, I’ve heard many good things about Minho from ‘Sung, so it’s cool that you’re friends.” Seungmin comments, a smile that he hopes is sympathetic on his face. He figures it does its job when Changbin’s shoulders relax and he’s smiling ever so slightly again. For some reason, Seungmin is reminded of the saturday they met, and once again he can’t help marveling at just how beautiful Changbin is, however unconventional his looks may be, but that makes him unique, Seungmin thinks. Changbin is, simply put, like no one else.

“Yeah, I really scored in the best friend department when the universe put that menace in my path.” Changbin jokes, a fond smile taking over his features.

Seungmin allows himself to laugh, shaking his head just slightly. They fall into a comfortable silence after that, their feet tapping against each other under the table as Seungmin people-watches and Changbin stares out the window, lost in thought. When their food is brought out, they eat in silence, ankles hooked together and lips turned up. They don’t really speak again until they’ve paid and returned to Changbin’s beat-up pickup truck, halfway down the road they arrived from.

“Thank you.” Seungmin says out of the blue. 

Changbin hums. “For what? Being so dashingly handsome?”

Seungmin scoffs, rolling his eyes. “No, idiot. For tonight.” He pauses, bites his lip, and then adds, “If you tell _anyone_ this, I’ll kill you, but you’re pleasant company.”

“Only pleasant?” Changbin sighs dramatically, pouting just slightly. “We’ll have to bump that up to a wonderful.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“I’m pushing it.”

“You’re insufferable!” Seungmin exclaims, throwing his hands up in defeat.

Changbin laughs, loud and full, and less obnoxious than Seungmin’s considered it to be in the past. Instead, he smiles, laughing just a little himself. 

He opens his mouth to speak again but Changbin shushes him, reaching out to turn the volume up on the radio. “I love this song.”

“ _Brothers_ by… SIAMÉS” Seungmin reads the title showing on the small screen of the radio. He looks at Changbin, a grin breaking out onto the man’s face. “I’ve never heard this.”

Changbin doesn't hesitate to roll the windows down then. “Well, you’re about to hear it now.” He says, and then he breaks out into song as the lyrics start. “ _Break the last of my heart while we fight. . .”_

Seungmin’s eyes widen when he hears Changbin sing. He didn't think Changbin was one to sing, let alone be able to sing so _well,_ but he can’t help how enraptured he becomes listening to Changbin belt along with the song. He’s not _trying_ to be on-key, he just is, and it’s beautiful.

“Sing with me, Seungmin!” Changbin urges, reaching over to grab Seungmin’s wrist loosely, shaking it just slightly before returning it to the steering wheel.

The chorus starts then, so Seungmin smiles and timidly joins in, his voice quieter compared to Changbin’s confident notes, but he’s just loud enough for Changbin to hear, and the absolute joy radiating in his smile is so contagious that Seungmin can’t help turning his own volume up.

“ _We can see from within,”_

Changbin laughs, as warm as the summer breeze.

“ _We are brothers with the stars tonight,”_

Seungmin has, truly, never felt so free.

“ _I believe there’s no need,”_

The stars above are the only witness to the pair, strange and so different from each other, two poles of the same magnet, yet the universe was determined to push them together, it seemed. In that moment, Seungmin didn’t care about anything else, Changbin was good at making the rest of the world fade away.

“ _Or reason that could break us down.”_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Changbin still doesn’t have Seungmin’s number.

He realizes it when he shows up at 7-11, 9 am on the dot a week later, and Seungmin’s nowhere to be seen. He doesn't worry right away, his best guess being that Seungmin is just late. A half hour passes when Changbin finally realizes that the boy is in fact, not showing up. On impulse, he pulls his phone out, prepared to text Seungmin and ask if he was okay, when he realizes in the month and a half that he’s known him, they haven’t once exchanged numbers. He figures it’s because somehow, like some crazy stroke of fate, they run into each other more times than they could count outside of Changbin’s regular visits to the 7-11 for breakfast and dinner.

He sighs and scrolls through his contact list as he leans against the outside wall of the 7-11, squinting in the late morning light. A car or two passes when he clicks on Minho’s contact, calling his friend and holding the phone up to his ear. It only rings three times before the familiar sound of his friend's sleepy voice reaches his ear.

“ _Binnie..”_ Minho grumbles. “ _What time is it?”_

“10:03 AM!” Changbin replies, chipper as ever despite the anxiety clawing at his chest. “Don’t you have a class at 11?”

“ _M’was out late… brought ‘sung back to the dorm.”_ He falls silent for a moment, then continues, his voice so soft that Changbin has to strain to hear it. “ _Skippin’ today.”_

“Ah, that’s like… the second time this week. Year’s almost over, Minho.” Changbin pretends to chide his best friend, tone light. “Don’t wanna flunk.”

_“What do you want?”_ Minho just growls into the microphone, sounding a little more annoyed now that Changbin won’t just get to the point.

“Ah, right.” He feigns his forgetfulness. “Is Jisung still with you?” 

“ _Yeah, why?”_ Minho sounds a little more awake now. “ _They’re still sleeping.”_

“Oh, okay.” Changbin tries to swallow the lump in his throat. Really, he shouldn't be so paranoid. He and Seungmin aren’t even _that_ close. Sure, it seems like they can’t go a day without seeing each other, and they know trivial things about each other, but they don’t know each and every little deep secret and tiny detail. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Changbin reasons that's okay, because things like that are a learning process. Still, he isn’t sure if it’s his place to be worried about the boy. “When they wake up, ask them where Seungmin is, he’s not at work today.” He tries to sound detached, like he isn’t absolutely working himself up over this, but he knows that Minho is aware already.

The other line goes silent for a moment and then Changbin can hear some rustling. Minho’s voice is muffled when he speaks again, followed by another voice, and then Minho’s speaking into the mic again. “ _Jisung says Seungmin’s sick_.” 

“Ah, okay.” Changbin sighs in relief. “Thank you.” 

“ _Do you want his number?_ ” Jisung speaks this time, voice rough with sleep.

Changbin considers the question for a moment. Yes, he does, but he doesn't want to seem clingy or needy just because Seungmin didn't show up to work. Would it be weird if he just texted him out of the blue? “ _Hey, your best friend gave me your number because I didn't get to see you for one day! What’s up?”_

Yeah, definitely weird.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just see him when I see him.” Changbin forces himself to say, gritting his teeth and counting to ten.

“ _Are you sure?”_ Jisung grunts. “ _It wouldn't be much of a hassle and I know he really wanted to see you today.”_

That was enough to give Changbin pause. Seungmin actually _wanted_ to see him? He frowns, but shakes his head again as if Jisung could see him. “No, really. It’s okay. I’ll just get it from him when I see him next.”

The other line is silent for a moment and Changbin begins to think that Jisung has fallen asleep until they speak again. “ _Just texted you his number through Minho’s phone. Call him, you useless gay dumbass_.”

“Jisung, wh—” The line cuts off, and Changbin scowls when he realizes Jisung hung up on him. With a sigh, he pushes off the wall and opens his texts, adding the number to his contacts. He hesitates for a good few seconds before sending a simple, “ _hey, it’s changbin_ . _Got your number from Jisung.”_ before dropping his board on the ground and pushing off the sidewalk. 

When he’s home in his apartment, closed off in his room from his roommate with a bag of chips open on his desk, he finally checks his phone again. To his surprise, there’s a response.

**10:02 AM ; private chat**

_Seungmin: O hi_

_Seungmin: How didyou get my number from them_

_Seungmin: Did you*_

_Seungmin: Sorry i can’t forcus very well rn_

_Seungmin: Focus*_

_Seungmin: Sorry again_

_Changbin: lol its okay. Jisung told me you were sick so i understand_

_Seungmin: Waht a little shit_

_Seungmin: Tattle tale >:( _

_Seungmin: How did you get in touch with thm?_

_Changbin: oh yeah. i called minho and jisung was with him_

_Seungmin: Yeah they didnt whatnto get infected lol_

_Seungmin: Hyun’s been taking care of me tho dw my friendsdindt leave me alone haha_

_Changbin: if they had, i wouldve offered to come over and take care of you_

_Changbin: it’s been like 10 minutes sorry was that weird haha_

_Seungmin: Hi sorry no it wasnt hdjdjf_

_Seungmin: Needed 2 take meds_

_Seungmin: I appreciate the thought :(_

_Seungmin: Okaymy meds r kikcing in now m rlly sleepy I’ll have to talk 2 u later hehe_

_Changbin: focus on getting better first. talk to you later_

  
  
  
  
  
  


The next time Seungmin is coherent enough to walk around, he leaves his room to see Jisung sitting on the living room floor, surrounded by a pile of t-shirts with the sleeves cut off. They look up when they see Seungmin standing in the hallway with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and waves with the hand holding the scissors. 

“Hey Seungminnie!” They sound way too chipper, their voice making Seungmin’s headache worse. “How are you feeling?” 

“Horrible.” Seungmin grumbles and shuffles to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “But I think my fever is breaking.”

“Well, that's good.” Jisung nods. 

Seungmin glances at them as he fills up the cup, watching the blond cut off the sleeves off another shirt. “What are you doing, Ji?” Seungmin mumbles, making his way over to his friend and sitting nearby, pulling the blanket up around him tighter.

“Mm, remaking some of my wardrobe.” Jisung answers, their tongue peeking out. “I’m gonna redye my hair next.”

“...Okay,” Seungmin sighs.” “You only do stuff like this when you’re stressed or trying not to break down. What happened?”

His friend doesn’t answer for a good while, pointedly focusing on _not_ saying anything as they follow the pattern on the shirt. When it’s finished, Jisung sighs and sets the clothing aside, reaching up to run a hand through their hair. “I slept with Minho.”

“Oh.” Seungmin’s eyes widen just a little, but he nods. “Okay, so… I’m lost.”

“Things were going fine, but… he hasn’t returned my texts.” Jisung mumbles, their eyebrows drawing together and their bottom lip quivering. “I don’t know how to feel.”

Seungmin frowns, staring down at his lap as he tries to figure out a way to console his friend. With a sigh, he tilts his head. “Do you want a solution or do you just want me to listen or do you want advice?”

Jisung is quiet for a moment, considering the question, and then they look up at him. “I want a solution.”

Seungmin nods. “I have an idea, then.” He says, and Jisung nods as he stands up and hurries back to his room. He returns a few moments later with his phone and dials Changbin, not even thinking about the fact that this is the first time he’ll be hearing the man’s voice in almost a week.

Changbin picks up on the second ring, and Seungmin has to ignore the tugging in his heart to focus on the task on hand. “ _Hey, Seungminnie!”_

“Hey,” He replies with a smile. “I need a favor.”

“ _Yeah, I’m here. What’s up?”_

Seungmin looks up at Jisung, tilting his head, before scooting closer to them. He holds the phone out. “I’ll let Jisung explain since it’s technically for them.”

“ _Ah, okay.”_ Changbin hums. “ _Hi, Jisung.”_

“Uh-Uh, Hey, Changbin.” Jisung stutters, their eyes wide as they take the phone. Seungmin frowns, mouthing, _“Is this okay?”._ Jisung smiles and nods, mouthing back their thanks. Seungmin exhales and smiles as well before leaning back on his hands as Changbin and Jisung conversed, Changbin promising to relay the message to Minho and Jisung thanking him before they hang up, setting the phone aside.

“Thank you, Minnie.” Jisung exhales, setting their hands in their lap.

“I know it’s important to you, Ji.” Seungmin shrugs, leaning forward as a slight cough hits him. “And if Minho doesn't talk to you again, I’ll kick his ass and I know Changbin would too. And Hyunjinnie.”

Jisungs snorts, rubbing their face. “I’ll take your word for it.” They sigh, and then they peek through their fingers with a smirk. “Speaking of Changbin…”

“Oh god.” Seungmin groans.

“You have his number now!” Jisung exclaims, throwing their hands up. “You can like, ask him out on dates and stuff now.”

“You say that like I like him.” Seungmin rolls his eyes. “Which, I don’t.”

“Seungmin, please, spare me.” Jisung snorts. “I know feelings when I see them. Ask him out on a proper date already!”

“I don’t know, Ji.” Seungmin scowls and looks down at his hands. He's never really done this sort of thing. He doesn’t know how relationships work or feelings or… all of it. “I need to get over this fever first, anyways.”

“I’ll drag Hyunjin out tonight and then you’ll have to ask him to come take care of you!” 

“No!” Seungmin squeaks, eyes wide. “I can take care of myself, thank you very much!”

Jisung cackles, their head falling back. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Seriously though, ask him out when you feel better! There’s no harm in trying, really.”

Seungmin stares at the pile of shirts, chewing absently on his bottom lip. Jisung has him there, truthfully. With a defeated sigh, he nods. “Fine, okay. I’ll take him to the boardwalk or something.”

“They do have a candy shop there.” Jisung nods, and devolves into a rant about sweets then, easily changing the subject. Seungmin smiles to himself, only thinking about the possibility of a day spent with Changbin outside of school and work.

He’s excited. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**9:02 AM, ; private chat**

_Seungmin: Hi_

_Changbin: hello_

_Changbin: this is a slight surprise. how you feeling?_

_Seungmin: Fever has passed, and I am good as new_

_Changbin: thats good! i’m glad to hear it_

_Seungmin: :D_

_Seungmin: Now, as for the reason I texted you_

_Changbin: mhmmm?_

_Seungmin: Hhh_

_Seungmin: Wouldyouliketogototheboardwalkwithme_

_Changbin: wait give me second to read that_

_Changbin: wait omg yes i would_

_Changbin: wait that sounded eager_

_Changbin: would it be weird if i said i missed seeing you?_

_Changbin: it’s been like 3 minutes haha u there?_

_Seungmin: Yes! I’m here, sorry_

_Seungmin: I … missed you too_

_Seungmin: So, boardwalk this weekend, we’ll meet around 11?_

_Changbin: it’s a date_

_Seungmin: Cool_

_Seungmin: See you then_

  
  


_A date._

Seungmin smiles.

  
  
  
  
  
  


What do you even _wear_ to the boardwalk? It’s summer, so something cool, obviously. But most of Changbin’s wardrobe is black t-shirts and jeans. He frowns, tossing the clothes back into the organized mess in his closet.

_“Do you need me to bring you some things?”_ Minho’s voice crackles over the phone. Changbin had facetimed him the second he got out of the shower, _begging_ his best friend to help him pick out an outfit.

“Do you have shorts that would fit me?” He sighs, flopping back on the bed.

_“You’d have to wear a belt probably, but I could figure something out.”_ Minho replies, sounding more distant. Changbin assumes he’s looking through his clothes.

“Honestly, I’d appreciate that, then.” Changbin nods and sits up, staring hopelessly into his closet. When Seungmin had asked him if he wanted to do this, he had been _overjoyed._ And then he spent the last couple of days worrying over what this meant, what Seungmin meant to him, and a bunch of other little insignificant things. He hasn’t gotten much sleep in the past couple days.

_“Hang tight, Binnie. I’ll be over in a couple minutes.”_ Minho pulls him out of his thoughts, a grin in his voice.

“Don’t stay for too long.” Changbin mumbled, staring at the bedroom door. Chris was out for the day, but he could really come back at any moment.

_“Don’t worry, Bin. If he comes back, I know how to act civil.”_ Minho chuckles. _“Besides, I’m completely over Chris Bang.”_

Changbin frowns and looks over at his phone propped up on the dresser. All he can see is Minho’s ceiling, but his friend’s voice was edged. He wants to ask if Minho’s even sure of that, considering he’s been avoiding Jisung since they slept together, but he decides it’s better not to push. Minho’s a grown man. If he needs something, he’ll ask.

“If you say so.” Changbin huffs. “See you soon.”

  
  
  
  


An hour later, Changbin finds himself standing at the entrance to the boardwalk fair, the big sign above him flashing with a fancy lights display. He watches it, distracted, as the sun warms his skin. In the end, Minho had dressed him in a tank top that hung open all the way to the hem and a pair of whitewash shorts, before shoving his messy mop of hair under a baseball cap and sending him off with a reminder to apply sunscreen every thirty minutes and to not scare Seungmin off.

Seungmin. Changbin thinks it's odd how, in such a short time, the boy had become the very forefront of his thoughts. They were still in that weird spot of not knowing much about each other but still knowing enough to think about each other. Changbin can’t even count how many times they've sent something back and forth with the words, “ _thought of you!”,_ since they got each other’s numbers. He smiles to himself and casts his gaze downwards, watching the families enter and leave the fair, the people playing on the beach, and the people admiring the vast ocean. This is a good place for a first date, he decides.

Wait. He blinks, staring at the sky in surprise. He just referred to today as a date. The more he thinks about it, though, he supposes it could be, but he’s not sure if Seungmin sees it that way. Still, he smiles, wide and goofy, and looks down at his shoes. He wouldn’t mind if today is a date, he decides, especially because it’s with Seungmin. He finds his thoughts drifting, wondering what it would feel like to be in love with Seungmin, with his sharp tongue, dopey smile, soft, slightly nasally voice, and witty remarks. He’s beautiful, too, with his sun-kissed skin, the mole on his left cheek, his soft eyes and the curve of his nose. Out of nowhere, Changbin has the urge to draw him, but he’ll have to wait until he's home. 

He definitely won’t deny that he feels a sort of attraction to Seungmin, but he can’t decide if it’s actual feelings, or if it’s just because Seungmin is really a sight to behold. Perhaps today will help him decide for sure. 

“Changbin!” Seungmin’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts. Changbin’s head shoots up, his eyes finding Seungmin’s as the boy hurries towards him, a bright smile planted on his face. He looks amazing, high waisted shorts held up with a belt and a t-shirt tucked into the waistband. His skates are slung over his shoulder, the laces tied together, and Changbin guesses that it’s probably a habit for the boy to bring them, considering the amount of people he had seen skating around already. He kind of wishes he’d brought his skateboard.

“Hey!” Changbin waves, pushing off the railing and meets Seungmin halfway. Seungmin returns the wave a little awkwardly, his shoulders suddenly tense and Changbin chuckles. “Relax, Seungmin.”

“Okay.” The boy nods, exhaling as his entire body slumps when he does relax.

Changbin just smiles, making a point to check him out from head to toe before meeting his eyes again, satisfied with the way Seungmin’s face turns a bright shade of red. “You look good.”

“Uh-” Seungmin stutters, his eyes wide. “Thank you. You too.”

Changbin laughs, his head thrown back, and Seungmin manages a small giggle of his own. “Seriously, Seungmin. Just relax, okay?”

Seungmin nods again, smiling just a bit to himself, and Changbin finally grabs his hand. “Now, come on.” He says and pulls him along, finally entering the fair. Seungmin doesn't hesitate to fall into step with him, their hands linked as they try to decide what to do first. 

Food is what they end up choosing first when Seungmin’s stomach growls loudly, and minutes later they leave one of the food stands with corn dogs on a stick and two medium sized cokes. They finish their food as they check out the fair, making something of a plan for their day, from which rides to go on to which boothes to play, and soon enough they find themselves waiting for their turn at the ring toss booth.

“I want the big pompurin plushie.” Seungmin whispers, pointing to the back of the booth. 

Changbin nods, squeezing his hand. “I’ll make sure you get it.”

Seungmin smiles, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Changbin just watches him, completely enraptured by the absolute joy radiating off the taller boy. He could probably just stand here and stare at him all day given the chance. 

When it’s finally their turn, It takes three tries and half of the money Changbin brought before he manages to land enough rings to get Seungmin the pompurin plushie, but it was worth it to see the way his eyes lit up and he hugged it close to his chest. 

“Thank you, Binnie.” Seungmin mumbles into the fabric of the plushie, but Changbin can still see the light blush dusted across his cheeks.

“As long as you’re happy.” Changbin shrugs and sticks his hands in his pockets. Seungmin’s face turns a deeper shade of red and he quickly hurries ahead towards one of the calmer rides. Changbin just chuckles to himself and follows after him. 

They spend the next couple of hours darting back and forth between booths and rides until eventually they get bored and find their way to a somewhat quiet spot along the boardwalk, with a good view of the ocean. They lean against the railing in silence for a while, before Seungmin finally speaks up.

“I have a theory.” He says, a smirk on his face. That can’t be good.

“Don’t you always have theories?” Changbin snorts. “Mr. ‘The-Truth-Is-Out-There’?”

“Hey! Just you wait, you and I are gonna sit down and watch the X-files and you’re gonna love it.” Seungmin scoffs, then, in a lower voice to show he’s trying to impersonate one of the characters, “‘Aliens, Mulder’.” 

Changbin laughs, shaking his head in response. “What’s your theory, Min?” He huffs and turns to face the taller boy better.

“I think the reason you weren’t skating at the rink that night is because you can’t skate.” Seungmin points an accusing finger at him, a confident grin on his face. 

Changbin stares at him, eyes wide as he processes the statement, before he laughs again. “I can skate! You’ve seen me skating to the 7-11 before.”

“Okay, not everyone who skateboards can roller-blade, Changbin.” Seungmin rolls his eyes before grabbing one of his skates and holding it up. “These are a lot harder to control.”

“They can’t be _that_ hard.”

“Okay, so prove it. Put the skates on and show me.” Seungmin takes the skates off his shoulders and holds them out to Changbin.

“Okay, no.” Changbin scowls, pushing the skates back towards Seungmin. “I may not rollerblade but I have some friends who do and they have explicitly stated that it’s dangerous to use skates that are too big and, well,” He looks down at their feet, gesturing vaguely. “We’re definitely not the same shoe size.”

“Alright fine.” Seungmin drapes his skates over his shoulder again and crosses his arms. “Next friday, we’ll go to the rink together and see just how good you can skate.”

“Why not Saturday?” 

“Because Hyunjin and Jisung would probably kill me if I ditched them on our day just so I could,” Seungmin inhales. “Go with you.” He adds, quieter, a frown on his face.

Changbin stares at him, head tilted as he tries to makes sense of the way the boy’s mood had shifted. Seungmin stubbornly keeps his gaze on the waves hitting the beach, and Changbin just shrugs finally. “Okay, deal. It’s a date.” He agrees as he turns to look at the water, missing the way Seungmin’s head shoots up in shock.

“Cool.” Seungmin nods, his voice barely a whisper.

  
  
  
  


When the sun starts to set, Seungmin grabs Changbin’s hand and pulls him back to the fair, making a beeline for the ferris wheel. “The sunset looks beautiful from up there.” He explains as they grab a spot in line. Seungmin hugs his plushie close to his chest, staring up at the ride. Changbin isn’t _thrilled_ about the idea of going on it, since he’s not the biggest fan of heights, but he’s sure it’ll be fine. He’s with Seungmin, afterall.

“How often do you come here?” Changbin asks once they’re on the ride and their cart is slowly lifting. He tries not to let the height bother him too much.

“Mm… sometimes before we go to the skate rink, I’ll come here with Hyunjin and Jisung. Mostly we just skate, or play in the waves, but sometimes we spend the day at the fair.” Seungmin explains, leaning forward on the safety bar to look out across the beach.

“Sounds fun.” Changbin hums.

They fall into a comfortable silence as the cart continues to rise and the sun continues to set, bathing the sky in beautiful shades of red and orange. Changbin is quick to pull his phone out and snap a picture of it with Seungmin in the frame, feeling the urge to paint it next time he gets the chance. Seungmin doesn’t notice, too entranced by the sunset itself, but Changbin can only watch him. He loves the way the sun kisses Seungmin’s skin and turns his dark eyes into pools of amber and honey. He practically glows.

“Seungmin?” Changbin calls out softly, but he averts his gaze to the ground below. Seungmin hums to let him know that he’s listening, so he inhales slowly before continuing. “That night, when we met. I was there because I felt alone.”

“What?” Seungmin looks over at him. “What do you mean?”

Changbin sighs, staring out at the ocean as the ride finally reaches the peak. He’s unable to run away and unable to back out now. He hasn’t told anyone this, not even Minho, but for some reason, he feels safe with Seungmin. “Minho and Chris have felt… distant, ever since they had their huge fight and I got stuck in the middle. I sided with Minho, so things between Chris and I have been tense and the apartment is always so… quiet. We used to be close, we used to spend time together like you do with Hyunjin and Jisung–hell, all three of us did, but... I don’t know. They’ve both become so withdrawn from each other and me that I was starting to feel… left behind, I guess? So I found myself at the rink that night because I was hoping to make a friend.” He explains as he picks at the skin around his nails nervously. “I’m glad it was you.”

Seungmin is quiet for a moment, and then he reaches over to grab Changbin’s hand. “I’m glad you decided to talk to me that night.” He says softly. Changbin looks at him, eyes wide. “I’m glad we’re friends.”

Changbin smiles, his heart thumping wildly against his chest as he meets Seungmin’s eyes. The boy gives him a soft, reassuring smile and squeezes his hand as he pulls it into his lap. “Thank you.” Changbin whispers.

Seungmin tilts his head, his eyebrows furrowing. “For what, exactly?”

“For being my friend.”

“Well, like I’ve said,” Seungmin shrugs. “You’re pleasant company.”

“Still just pleasant?” Changbin raises an eyebrow.

“Fine, fine. You’re wonderful company.”

Changbin grins, his chest feeling light for the first time in awhile. Butterflies flit around his stomach as Seungmin smiles back, brighter than the sun behind him, brighter than the stars above them, brighter than the lights on the ferris wheel. He’s beautiful, and Changbin’s head feels fuzzy, and that’s all it takes for him to decide that yeah, he definitely has feelings for Seungmin.

“You’re wonderful company too, Seungmin Kim.”

  
  
  
  


The second Seungmin kicks his shoes off that night, long after the clock struck midnight, he makes his way to Hyunjin’s room. Changbin had driven him home, and only after an awkward high-five (what?) from Changbin and whispered goodnights, did Seungmin finally get out of the car. He stood on the sidewalk and waved as Changbin drove off and then he made his way up to his apartment with a big dopey grin on his face despite the awkwardness of the goodbyes. If anything, he just found Changbin more endearing because of that.

“Hyunjin?” He calls softly, not wanting to wake up Jisung who is asleep in the living room. There’s muted footsteps and then the bedroom door swings open, revealing Hyunjin wearing a facemask, his hair tied up on top of his head with a scrunchie. 

Hyunjin tilts his head, regarding Seungmin curiously. “You’re home late.”

“Changbin and I stopped for burgers at the diner.” He mutters, staring at the floor to hide the way his cheeks warm up at just the thought of Changbin.

“Oh, is that so?” Hyunjin snickers, crossing his arms.

“Shut up.”

Hyunjin snorts. “So why are you coming to me? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for bed?”

“Um,” Seungmin hesitates, glancing down the hall at the living room, before brushing past Hyunjin and entering his room. His friend doesn’t even hesitate to close his door and follow Seungmin to the bed, sitting on it with him. “I think I like him–Changbin, I mean.”

“And… this is supposed to be news?” Hyunjin asks, raising an eyebrow.

Seungmin frowns, confused. “...Yes?”

“Seung, anyone who’s anyone can tell that you like him.” Hyunjin giggles. “You _Always_ talk about him. “Changbin this, Changbin that. Changbin would like this!”. I mean, honestly, I think you’re the last to know.” His tone is more teasing than anything, but the smirk on his face is too smug for Seungmin’s liking. “Even Felix and Jeongin have caught on.”

“I hate you.” Seungmin groans, flopping back on the bed. “I don’t know what to do, Jinnie.”

“Tell him?” Hyunjin answers, as if it’s obvious. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He could hate me, he could get weirded out.” Seungmin mutters, scowling up at the ceiling. “Really, Jin, there’s a multitude of bad things that could happen.”

“or, “ Hyunjin shifts to lay next to him. “He feels the same and is worrying about this just as much as you.”

Seungmin wants to consider that as a possibility, but it’s hard. He’s only ever had fleeting crushes, light infatuations, but they never lasted long. He’s never had real, genuine feelings for someone. And to think that there’s a chance they could actually feel the same? That just seems entirely out of the question. Plus, Seungmin doesn’t want to potentially ruin the friendship he’s built with Changbin. 

With a sigh, he sits up. “I guess we’ll just see after Friday.”

Part of him really hopes that Changbin feels the same.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The skate rink is louder than usual when Seungmin steps inside a week later. His skates are over his shoulder like usual, and Changbin’s hand is pressing into the small of his back as the boy carefully guides them to the front counter.

When Changbin had picked him up earlier in the evening, dressed in a black tank-top—the sleeves cut all the way to his waist—and a pair of ripped jeans and black combat boots, Seungmin had been rendered speechless. Changbin’s arm tattoos were on full display, and no matter how many times he saw them, he was still absolutely blown away that Changbin had designed each and every one of them. 

Changbin had insisted on getting dinner beforehand, but Seungmin turned him down. 

“If we’re spending the night at the rink, you’ve gotta have the full experience!” Seungmin had exclaimed as Changbin rolled the windows down, allowing the music blasting from the radio to be heard all down the street. “Skating, arcade games, _and_ the pizza!”

That was enough to convince Changbin it seemed, because he stayed on route to the rink after that. Seungmin could barely contain his excitement.

After they pay the admission fee, Seungmin takes Changbin back to the shoe locker, where rows upon rows of skates rested on shelves. They find a pair in Changbin's size, and waste no time in finding a table so they could change into the skates.

“So, I know you’re probably trying to seem confident and cool to prove a point,” Seungmin says as he laces his left skate. “But _please_ try to take it easy while you get used to the skates.”

“I told you, Seungminnie, I got this!” The older boy grins, much too confident and cocky.

Seungmin scowled. “Say that again when your ass is bruised because you fell on it too many times.”

Changbin snorts, waving him off with a smirk. “A bruised ass is nothing, really.”

“At least let me help you?” Seungmin offers as he stands up, rolling his skates back and forth a couple times to get his legs used to them.

“You worried about me?” Changbin coos as he finishes lacing his own skates. Suddenly, he stops, staring at the floor with one hand braced on the table. As suspected, he looked scared.

Seungmin sighs and carefully rolls over to him, holding his hands out to help him up. “Trust me?”

Changbin looks up at him and then at his hands, and he nods. His hands grasp Seungmin’s and the taller boy helps him to his feet. Changbin’s feet wobble a little and he gasps, quickly grasping onto Seungmin’s forearms to better balance himself. Seungmin guides the both of them towards the skate floor, stepping down into it rather easily, but he stays patient with Changbin as the older carefully and slowly lowers himself down with one hand gripping Seungmin’s arm a little too tightly, and the other white-knuckling the half wall that separates the dining area from the skate floor.

“You got it.” Seungmin reasures when Changbin is finally standing directly in front of him. The urge to tease Changbin for being completely _wrong_ is strong, but he opts for smiling encouragingly at the man. He remembers how scared he was his first time skating too, afterall.

“After this, I’m teaching you how to skateboard.” Changbin grumbles, as if that’s some kind of threat. 

Seungmin giggles and begins to roll backwards, his grip on Changbin’s arms tightening to help keep him upright. “I’d accept, but I actually already know.”

“Of course you do!” Changbin cries out, his bottom lip jutted in a pout as he throws his head back. He looks so cute that Seungmin has to physically stop himself from kissing the boy right then and there.

Seungmin laughs a little louder. “It’s okay, Binnie! You can teach me something else, like how to draw or use producing stuff.”

Changbin lights up at that, his pout morphing into a smile. “Really?!”

Seungmin nods, his own smile growing and Changbin’s eyes practically sparkle. The man opens his mouth to say something more, but then he squeaks and stumbles forward, sending them both flying backwards. Seungmin hadn’t really taken notice of his surroundings that much, not until now, and he realizes that Changbin had tripped because they were turning and Seungmin had forgotten to teach him how to turn on skates.

He looks over at Changbin, who’s laying half on top of him. When their eyes meet, it takes all of five seconds for Changbin’s cheeks to flush as he scrambles to get off. They’re against the wall, thankfully, so they’re not disrupting the flow of traffic too much. Carefully, Seungmin gets to his feet and holds his hands out to help Changbin up as well.

It doesn't work as well as he thought it would, at first, as Changbin’s feet kept rolling out from underneath him. “Use the little stoppers on the front—okay, stop pulling on my arms—” Seungmin scowls and leans down, wrapping an arm around Changbin’s waist to pull the man to his feet that way. He doesn’t pull away immediately, wanting to make sure Changbin was balanced completely, but when he does try, the man grabs his arm to keep him in place.

“Can you just hold me like this for awhile?” Changbin asks softly. “To-To help me get used to balancing on these damned things.” He quickly adds, emphasizing his words by tapping one of the skates against the other.

Seungmin feels his cheeks heat up, his heart thumping wildly against his chest. He can feel the warmth radiating from Changbin’s skin against his side, feel his fingers gently gripping his forearm, feel his hair brushing against his cheek. He gulps, unable to say _no,_ so he nods. “Yeah, maybe—I-I dunno, I’ve never skated this close to someone.”

Changbin hesitates, chewing on his bottom lip, and then he slowly detaches from his side. His hands find Seungmin’s arms, facing him once more. “Let's not fall over again, then.”

Seungmin nods, pushing away the slight disappointment at how _empty_ his side felt suddenly.

  
  
  
  


They skate for another hour or so, slow and paced to allow Changbin to get used to the feel of being on the skates and so Seungmin could teach him how to turn because honestly, that was one of the things Seungmin struggled with most as well when he first started. 

Changbin, surprisingly, got the hang of things rather quickly, and soon they were skating side by side, watching as people came and went, kids skated, and teens played the arcade games. The conversation was light, drifting from topic to topic, ranging from their childhood memories to their favorite desserts. Seungmin always loved how easy conversation with Changbin could be, and he was even beginning to enjoy their light flirting-disguised-as-banter. 

His favorite part of the night so far, though, was watching Changbin while the older man talked. He liked being able to quietly admire the man’s features, the way the neon lights highlighted his jawline, accented his nose, and reflected off the light layer of gloss the man had applied to his lips (how Seungmin hadn’t noticed before, was beyond him, but it probably had something to do with the way he had actively been trying to _avoid_ staring at Changbin’s lips). He liked the way Changbin’s hands wave around as he got immersed in telling a story, his eyes sparkling and his expressions bringing the words to life right in front of Seungmin.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Changbin waves his hands wildly, trying to diffuse the laughter even though his own words were punctuated by giggles. “And when I walked into the living room later that night, Chris _could not_ meet my eyes. He was so embarrassed!” Changbin sighs, an amused grin on his face. “That’s what he gets for, well, _that.”_

“That’s so _weird!”_ Seungmin scoffs. They’re sitting at a table now, a half finished pizza left untouched in front of them. “Hell, I’d be embarrassed too—Oh, that reminds me of this one time, with Hyunjin-” He giggles, covering his mouth with one hand. Changbin’s smile softens as he watches Seungmin’s every move, and Seungmin has to ignore the burning in his cheeks as he continues telling Changbin about the shower incident. 

“So, let me get this straight,” Changbin props an arm on the table, gesturing vaguely at Seungmin. “You turned the lights off while he was showering after you used the toilet, and you just… didn’t notice?”

“Okay, in my defense!” Seungmin holds his hands up, but he’s laughing too hard to seem serious. “In my defense, I had been studying for exams for a week straight. I had barely gotten any sleep!”

“You knew he was showering though!” Changbin exclaims. 

Seungmin can’t help laughing harder then. His cheeks hurt from how wide he was smiling, but he just couldn’t stop. “I was _exhausted!_ Can you blame me?” 

“I mean,” Changbin pauses, and then shrugs. “No, not really. If I’m honest, I probably would do something similar.”

They’re both silent for a moment, and then they’re both bursting into giggles. Everything feels so natural, the jokes, the chatter, the way their skates bump against each other every so often under the table. Seungmin wants to reach over and slide his fingers into Changbin’s, a gesture that, in his head, feels just as natural as the rest of it but he figures that Changbin probably wouldn’t feel the same way, so he keeps his arms tucked under him as he leans on the table.

“This has been really fun, Seungmin.” Changbin says after their laughter dies down. He leans back, an arm slung over the back of his chair. It’s supposed to look casual, Seungmin thinks, but the man just looks, well, extremely hot. He quickly averts his eyes to the plate of pizza crusts in front of him, willing the blush in his cheeks away. “I’m glad you brought me here.”

“Technically you brought me here since you drove.” Seungmin points out, smiling despite his heart hammering against his chest.

“True, but you suggested it.” Changbin shrugs. “I haven't been on a date in… over a year?”

Seungmin’s heart stops. “A-A date?”

Changbin falls quiet for a moment, and then he meets Seungmin’s eyes through his lashes. “Was it not a date?”

Seungmin opens and closes his mouth a couple times, unable to form a proper sentence or response or _thought._ Yes, to answer Changbin’s question, because Seungmin had viewed it that way himself, but he didn't think Changbin had too. Changbin had said, _“It’s a date”_ , of course, but Seungmin just assumed that meant the date was set. 

He finds himself nodding slowly in response to Changbin’s question. “It was.”

“Good.” Changbin smiles and grabs his drink to take a sip.

Yeah, Seungmin thinks, _good._

  
  
  
  
  
  


That night had opened an entirely new door after that. 

The time Seungmin and Changbin spent together increased tenfold, it seemed. What were study times spent alone in their apartments or the school library, were study times now spent pressed to each other’s sides on each other’s couches or across from each other in a quiet corner at the library, their ankles linked under the table. Fridays became their “date nights”, and any time outside of those were spent at the diner or at the 7-11 or each other’s apartments, regardless of roommates.

They still hadn’t _talked_ about what they were, in relationships terms, but they didn't really think they were dating per say. They held hands more often, and called Fridays their date nights, but they hadn’t kissed or referred to each other as boyfriend. As far as everyone else was concerned, even themselves, they were just very, _very_ close friends. 

“Are you and Changbin dating?” Felix asks one day at lunch, one of the few times Changbin and Seungmin were _not_ always attached at the hip. Somedays, Changbin would join Seungmin in the lunch room, other days, he spent time with a couple friends in the art studios. Seungmin isn’t entirely sure what they do there, but Changbin had once told him that they’re studying each other's recent paintings to give pointers, praise, constructive criticism, etc. 

“Um… no?” Seungmin frowns, poking his fork into his mashed potatoes. Technically, he wasn’t actually that sure what they are.

“Oh, okay.” Felix shrugs, finally shoveling a bite of his own mashed potatoes into his mouth. “I just ask ‘cause you two spend so much time together and whenever I see you both, you’re off in your own little world.”

“Well, in that case, are you and Jeongin dating?” Seungmin asks, glancing up at his freckled friend. 

Felix’s cheeks turn bright red, the color spreading to the tips of his ears, as he quickly shakes his head. “That’s-That’s different.”

“It’s not, really.” Seungmin shrugs. “You two spend every waking second together these days. I’m surprised he’s not with you right now.”

“He’s busy helping some underclassmen in his music class.” Felix mutters, but the way he frowns tells Seungmin everything he needs to know. “You know how he gets when the younger kids treat him like he’s their idol or something.”

“He collects the underclassmen like infinity stones.” Seungmin snorts, and his smile grows when Felix laughs as well. “Seriously though, why haven’t you just told him already?”

“It’s… complicated.” Felix shrugs.

“It can’t be as complicated as Minho and Jisung.” Seungmin shakes his head with a scoff.

“Oh, don’t even get me started on those idiots.” Felix groans, dropping his fork on his tray. “They’re talking again but they’re completely avoiding the Talk, and anytime the subject is brought up, they dance around it—wait a second, speaking of subjects, you totally changed it on me!” He gasps, pointing an accusing finger at Seungmin.

“What? No I didn’t.” Seungmin denies innocently, even though that's a complete lie. 

“You did!” Felix exclaims. “I came here to talk about you and Changbin, not Jisung and Minho!”

“Do we have to talk about Changbin and I?” Seungmin sighs, sticking his fork in his potatoes and leaving it like that as he runs a hand through his freshly dyed silver hair (courtesy of Jisung, a couple nights prior when they needed to rant while they redid their hair, and since there was some bleach left, Seungmin agreed to have his hair done too). “I just… I don’t wanna leave this bubble that he and I are in just yet.”

“Bubbles pop eventually, Seungmin.” Felix shakes his head. “Think of it as a bubblegum bubble and someone is slowly blowing it. It’s expanding around you both, allowing space for more and more things to develop, but eventually it’s going to pop and you two are gonna have to face… whatever it is that’s going on between you.” The freckled boy gestures vaguely to Seungmin. “I mean, does he even _know_ you like him?”

“Well,” Seungmin starts, keen on telling Felix that yes, Changbin does, thank you very much, but then it dawns on him that actually no, he doesn't. He hasn’t outright admitted it to the blue-haired man. “No, he doesn't.” He mutters, deflating just a little.

“I think you two should talk about it soon.” Felix says, reaching across the table to grab Seungmin’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

“Only if you talk to Jeongin.” Seungmin counters, but squeezes Felix’s hand as well.

“Deal.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Spoiler alert: He doesn't talk to Changbin.

Two weeks pass, marking the four month period since they’ve met. Over the past few weeks, the _bubble_ has grown. They’ve gone from shyly sitting side-by-side on the couch while watching netflix, to cuddling, legs thrown over laps and arms wrapped comfortably around each other, and they’ve fallen asleep in each other’s beds a couple times when study sessions ran a little too late, but they still haven't _talked_ about what they really need to talk about. 

Seungmin just… doesn't want the bubble to pop yet.

“Hey, what’d you get for question 17?” Changbin asks, breaking the silence they've fallen into. They’re in the library today, reviewing their homework packets together (from a class they discovered early on that they shared. Seungmin still wonders how he never noticed). “I put B but I feel like that’s wrong.”

“You got it right.” Seungmin reassures. He leans over to check Changbin’s page, the older man tapping his pen against the paper next to the question. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Okay, good.” Changbin relaxes. “Calculus is _not_ my strong suit.”

“Yeah, I know.” Seungmin teases, looking back at his own paper. Changbin kicks him lightly under the table, mumbling a soft, “shut up”, and Seungmin just smiles. 

“Hey,” Changbin speaks up again after a moment. “Seung?”

“Hmm?” Seungmin hums as he turns to the last page of his packet, scanning over the last few questions. He's pretty certain it's all right. 

“Um…” Changbin trails off. Seungmin glances up at him, frowning at the way the man seems conflicted. Finally, Changbin just shakes his head. “N-Nothing, nevermind.”

“Binnie, what is it?” Seungmin asks, closing his packet and setting his pencil down.

“Nothing, just,” Changbin hesitates, capturing his bottom lip in his teeth before releasing it with a soft _pop!_ “Just wanted to say you look nice today.” 

“Oh.” Seungmin frowns, slowly leaning back in his seat. For the second time that month, it felt like the bubble was slowly meeting its end. The first time was a week and a half ago, when they were at Seungmin’s apartment. 

They were in the kitchen, quietly listening to a playlist that Changbin had expertly put together, full of songs he wanted Seungmin to hear, while Seungmin made them dinner. At some point, Changbin had shuffled over to the cabinet above the sink to try and get a cup, but all of the clean ones were too high for him to reach. 

Seungmin had graciously and easily—to which Changbin had whined about _immensely_ —grabbed a cup for him. Only, when he turned to Changbin to hand him the cup, he noticed, then, how close they were. Changbin's eyes had flickered down, just slightly, and Seungmin couldn't tell if he was looking at his nose or his lips, but he didn't find out. Instead, he just thrust the glass into Changbin’s hands and returned to the pan on the stove, ignoring how hot his cheeks felt.

“Seungmin?” Changbin's voice breaks him out of his thoughts. “You in there?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” Seungmin quickly nods, offering Changbin a smile. “You look nice too.”

Changbin stares at him a moment longer, before snorting. “We’re both in t-shirts and sweats.”

“Yeah, and?” Seungmin shrugs. “You look good in anything.”

“Ah,” Changbin nods. Seungmin can see his Adam's apple bob when he swallows a little too hard. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” Seungmin returns in a small voice, picking absently at the skin around his nails. Changbin’s hands were different from his own. Small fingers, rough calluses on his fingertips from playing guitar, but his nail beds were well looked after and his palms were soft. Seungmin liked tracing the lines of his palms, liked feeling the soft skin against his own when their fingers intertwined. 

He’s starting to think he won’t be able to stop the bubble from popping at this point.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“So, let me get this straight,” Minho sighs, rubbing his face.

Changbin had been sitting on his bed, watching a movie Seungmin had recommended to him, when his best friend cornered him, demanding to talk because it had been way too long since they’d really caught up. They jumped from Minho’s “relationship” with Jisung (they were working through it, slowly), to Minho admitting that Chris had apologized (Changbin made a mental note to talk to his roommate soon), and now, Changbin had _finally_ told Minho that he did like Seungmin, but they hadn’t really _talked_ about it.

“You both called it a date, which basically confirms that you have feelings for each other, but you haven’t talked about it? It’s been how long?” Minho tilts his head, looking _extremely_ confused.

“Like… a month? Maybe?” Changbin shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant about it, but honestly? It was starting to bother him.

“A month?!” Minho all but yells, his eyes comically wide. “Changbin Seo!”

“I know, I know!” Changbin groans, flopping back on the bed. “I’m- I don’t even know what I’d say!”

“‘Hey, Seungmin, I like you! Let’s date for real!’” Minho raises his voice a little to mimic Changbin’s, waving his hands a little in the air. “It’s not that hard.”

“You’re one to talk!” Changbin shrieks, grabbing a pillow from the head of his bed and hitting Minho with it. “You went two weeks without speaking to Jisung after you slept together! You shouldn't even be giving me relationship advice!”

“Don’t hit me-!” Minho squeaks, grabbing the pillow to try and take it from Changbin, but Changbin had the strength advantage here and he easily tugged it back, hugging it close to his chest. “And for the record, things with Jisung and I are not at _all_ similar to what you and Seungmin are going through. Ji and I, simply put, it’s complicated. With my commitment issues and their, well, they have their own issues, we decided it’s better to bond as friends and come back to the relationship part when we’re both more emotionally equipped for a relationship.

“You and Seungmin have spent the past _four months_ getting to know each other as friends. No… complicated feelings, just… four months of innocent bonding. Compared to Jisung and I, you two have got it a hell of a lot easier.” Minho explains, leaning back on his hands. 

“I guess.” Changbin shrugs, and then he groans. “Why are feelings so harrdddd?” 

“If they were easy, life would be boring, I think.” Minho snorts as he shifts around to lay next to Changbin. “it sucks, but I’d rather fight for love than have it handed it to me on a silver platter. The fight to get there makes the end result so much better, because you can look at the person you love and say, “we earned this. I fought my way to you and you fought your way to me, and we found each other in the end”.”

“Huh…” Changbin hums, staring at the plastic, glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling. He’s never thought about it that way.

“Talk to him, Binnie,” Minho says softly, his hand finding Changbin’s on top of the comforter. “Before it’s too late.”

  
  
  
  
  


“Your total is 5 dollars and 23 cents.”

Two weeks have passed, and they’re _still_ dodging the topic. Granted, exams are coming up and they’re both really busy studying, plus Seungmin’s boss has upped his hours and Changbin's working on an end of the year project in his art class, but, _well._

This is the first time they've really spent any time together outside of studying, since Changbin finally made time to visit Seungmin at work. His bag sat in the backroom like always and he would probably be with it but he was feeling a little peckish so he offered to buy them both drinks and a snack while Seungmin worked.

“Cheaper than usual.” Changbin says as he hands his card to Seungmin. “Prices got lowered?”

“I think so?” Seungmin shrugs, swiping the card and tapping a couple of buttons on the register before handing the card back to Changbin and grabbing his drink and bag of chips. “I don’t know, I don’t talk to my boss about that stuff.”

“Huh.” Changbin nods and heads into the backroom again, grabbing his jacket from his bag since it’s chilly in the store. It’s raining again, the front door rattling quietly as the wind hits it. Changbin likes to watch the raindrops hit the pavement, illuminated by the singular light above the doors that flickered every once in a while.

“Exams have been kicking my ass lately.” Seungmin sighs when Changbin returns to his side. He drapes himself over the counter, his cheek smushed against his arm as he looks up at Changbin. “Sleep has been a myth the past two weeks.”

“You’ll get through it, Seungminnie.” Changbin chuckles, reaching over to brush Seungmin’s hair off his forehead. “Another week and we’re done for the year.”

“Thank god.” Seungmin grumbles, hiding his face in his arm.

Changbin chuckles and takes a sip of his drink as he watches Seungmin for a couple more seconds before averting his gaze to the rain outside. “How’d you get here?” He asks after a moment, realizing he didn't see the car that Seungmin and Jisung shared outside.

“Bus. Ji took the car ‘cause they’re with Minho.” Seungmin answers and gestures towards the back room. “Brought my skates hoping I’d be able to just skate home, but, well.”

“You didn't check the weather before you left?” Changbin asks, teasingly, as Seungmin had all those weeks ago. 

“Someone taught me to live on the edge a little.” Seungmin jokes, a wide smile on his face.

“Is that so?” Changbin gasps, his own smile growing. “And who might this wise person be?”

“Mm, he’s kind of short, _really_ obnoxious sometimes, but it’s okay ‘cause he also holds my hand when I ask.” Seungmin giggles, finally straightening up so he could lean on the counter and meet Changbin’s eyes properly. “And he has a really nice laugh and his voice is really pretty when he sings, and sometimes, when he gets tired, he whines more than usual, but it’s cute.” 

Had Seungmin gotten closer? Changbin could feel his heart in his throat. “Is that so?” 

“Mmhm.” Seungmin nods. He leans towards Changbin just slightly. Changbin feels a sense of déjà vu from that same day weeks ago, but he doesn't jerk back like Seungmin had. “I like spending time with him.”

Changbin instantly relaxes then, and he can’t help the way he lights up at that. “Well, I’d sure as hell hope so.” He snorts and Seungmin giggles. “I like spending time with you too.”

Seungmin’s smile then is so different from all the others, and for a moment, all Changbin can hear is the blood rushing in his ears and the hammering of his heart against his chest. Seungmin’s eyes flicker down to his lips, and he leans in ever so slightly and Changbin can only think, _this is it, the bubble is popping—_

And then the doors open. Changbin squeaks, detaching from Seungmin’s side to hide in the backroom. He can hear his friend chuckling softly to himself as he sits at the table, allowing the fan sitting across from him to cool the heat in his cheeks.

_So close._ He sighs, leaning his head back. _Almost there._

  
  
  


“Hey, I’ll drive you home.” Changbin says as Seungmin finishes locking up the last few refrigerator doors. He swings his keys around his index finger and taps the counter as Seungmin glances at him. “Can’t have you skating home in the rain.”

“Okay, thanks.” Seungmin smiles and nods before disappearing into the backroom so he could get his things. “Do you wanna stay the night, too?” He asks as he follows Changbin to the doors, jingling the store keys a little.

“Mm…” Changbin hums, considering the question, and then he shakes his head. “I should probably go home.”

“Oh, okay.” Seungmin mumbles. He sounds a little disappointed, but Changbin doesn't dwell on it too much. He doesn't want to think about the implication behind his disappointment, he just wants to act blissfully oblivious for a little while longer while he tries to figure out how to tell Seungmin he’s head over heels for him.

The ride to the apartment building is quiet save for the music quietly filtering from the speakers. Seungmin is leaning against the car door, his eyelids fluttering a little. Changbin guesses he’s exhausted and he frowns, reaching over to grab his friend’s hand. “Get some sleep tonight, okay?” Seungmin hums. “Promise?”

“M’promise.” Seungmin mumbles, his hand tightening around Changbin’s. 

Changbin falls quiet again as he focuses on the empty road, allowing the music to melt over him as he drives. The closer they get to Seungmin’s apartment building, the more the boy starts to squirm in his seat, and it’s when they’re at the light at the intersection outside of his building that he speaks up.

“Can we just-” He hesitates, glancing at the red light. “Can we just drive around a little more?”

“What?” Changbin’s head snaps around to look at him in surprise.

“I don’t want the night to end yet.” Seungmin whispers. 

Somehow, Changbin knows what he really wants to say. _I don’t want the bubble to pop yet._

“Okay.” Changbin nods, because who is he to say no to Seungmin? 

He keeps going straight when the light turns green, past the apartment building. They fall into a comfortable silence for now, as Changbin drives somewhat aimlessly. All they have in the space between them is their hands linked and all they have above their heads is the stars, twinkling and whispering. 

Seungmin sits up after a while, his eyebrows furrowed as he stares out the windshield. “The beach?” 

“Hm?” Changbin glances at him and then at the road, recognizing the street signs for the boardwalk and the beach. “Oh, I guess so. Is that okay?”

Seungmin nods and rests his head against the car window again. Changbin pulls into the empty parking lot for the beach and rolls the windows down since the rain has stopped, letting in the smell of sea and the rain, allowing the music to drift around them.

Seungmin shifts after what feels like forever of sitting in the silence with the sound of the waves and the soft music. The boy unbuckles, slipping his hand from Changbin’s and leaving the car wordlessly. Changbin stares, confused, as Seungmin kicks off his shoes and tosses them back into the car before running towards the beach. 

“Seung-” Changbin calls after him as he quickly kicks his own shoes off and follows after his friend as the boy runs along the beach towards the water, not stopping until he’s knee deep in the tide, not caring that his work slacks were soaked. Changbin stops just at the waterline, leaning over to catch his breath as he watches Seungmin. “You okay?”

“I love the ocean.” Seungmin whispers, barely audible over the sound of the waves. He tilts his head back to look up at the stars, a gentle sigh escaping his lips. The boardwalk is off to their right, quiet and dark since it's closed for the night, so the night sky is easier to see. “I love the stars.” Seungmin continues. “I love the sand in my toes and the sea breeze in my hair.” 

Changbin stands up straight, staring curiously at the boy in front of him. He can feel the tide washing over his toes, pulling the sand away and allowing him to sink further into the ground, but he doesn't pay attention. Seungmin turns to look at him, his face breaking into a wicked grin. 

“Race you!” He yells, before taking off down the beach. Changbin squeaks and hurries after him, struggling to catch up with the boy. For someone who doesn't exercise, Seungmin had a hell of a lot of stamina. Seungmin laughs loudly, the sound is music to Changbin’s ears as it mixes with the sounds of the waves washing up on the shore. 

“Where are we racing to?!” Changbin calls to him. His lungs are starting to burn, but he doesn't care, not when the wind is whipping in his hair and Seungmin is laughing without a care in the world.

“I don’t know!” Seungmin squeals, throwing his hands up. He stumbles then, and topples over, rolling a little ways in the sand before laying flat on his back.

“Seungmin!” Changbin yelps, falling to his knees next to his friend and leaning over him. “Are you okay?”

Seungmin meets his eyes, his expression softening and a gentle smile taking its place on his face. “Have I ever told you that you have pretty eyes?” He whispers, and it’s almost lost on Changbin’s ears.

“No,” Changbin shakes his head. “You haven’t.”

“Changbin Seo,” Seungmin reaches up to brush his hair back.

“Seungmin Kim?” Changbin meant for it to come out as a statement, but the words catch in his throat, sounding more like a question. _What is this?_

“You have the most beautiful eyes.” Seungmin murmurs, his hand stilling on Changbin’s cheek. His eyes trail down to the latter’s lips, and instead of darting away shyly like they usually do, he keeps them locked there, licking his own lips. Changbin can’t help watching the movement. “Can I… Can I kiss you?”

It’s like time stops. Changbin’s throat runs dry, his heart drumming so loudly against his chest he’s positive everyone within a ten mile radius can hear it. He’s rendered speechless, even when Seungmin stares back at him so, so patiently. Slowly, he nods, and that seemed like it was enough for Seungmin. The boy’s hand grasps the front of his shirt, pulling him down and crashing their lips together, the hand on his cheek snaking around to brace on the back of his neck. Changbin sighs happily into the kiss, the hand not holding himself up now resting on Seungmin’s waist.

It’s like everything falls into place with that one kiss. All the words they needed to say are no longer necessary, not as they hold each other in the sand, the ocean washing up around them and the stars twinkling happily above them. It’s perfect, Changbin thinks, as Seungmin gently bites his bottom lip. He wouldn't trade this moment for anything else, he decides, as he breaks away and presses his forehead against Seungmin’s, their breaths mixing between them.

“Hey, Binnie?” Seungmin breaks the silence, running his fingers through Changbin’s hair. The latter hums, letting Seungmin know he’s listening. “I really like you.”

Changbin grins, pressing another soft kiss to Seungmin’s lips before leaning back to look at him properly. “Really? I had no idea.”

“Asshole.” Seungmin rolls his eyes, but a smile tugs at his lips. 

“Say it again,” Changbin giggles.

“What, asshole?”

“No! The other thing!” 

“Oh,” Seungmin snorts and sits up, flipping them over so he’s on top this time. Sand falls off his shoulders, but they ignore it as Seungmin leans down, his lips grazing over Changbin’s. “I really like you, a lot.”

Changbin’s heart soars. “I really, _really,_ like you, too.” He repeats, leaning up ever so slightly against Seungmin. The latter tuts softly, resting one hand on Changbin’s side to ease him down gently before kissing him again. 

The bubble popped, finally, and Changbin has never been more grateful for anything in his life.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> yeaaaah i hope you enjoyed!!! hehehehe
> 
> you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/flwrbins) and ask me questions on my cc !! make sure to leave kudos and comment (if you want to) <3 
> 
> i'll be back with more in the future !! <3


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